Secret Tunnel
by Rdk3
Summary: Just your average, ordinary, everyday time travel fic. Zuko and Suki travel back in time to save the world. Zuki, Kataang, Korrasami, Tyzula. Contains Lemons!
1. Chapter 1

**PROLOGUE**

* * *

He held her hand as if his life depended on it, soft fingers which had been there for so long he could barely remember a life without them. It was a sweet touch, reviving his inner fire and dulling the pain if only a little.

"Can't this go any faster?" The voice of the young man complained as the temple shook, its roots being torn apart stone by stone. Nothing could escape that thing…

"I don't think she is listening, Bolin."

"Well, it doesn't hurt to try."

Blinking, the old man turned his eyes away from his wife to look towards the young woman meditating at the center of the secret room. After all this time the Air Temple still held the image of every avatar that ever lived in its heart, and now, one so young was attempting to do the impossible. He couldn't help but think Aang would be proud of her…

"You okay?"

Soft blue eyes stared down at him and Zuko smiled, even as a loud cough made the taste of blood clear in his mouth. The worst pain though was still the thought that he had survived when so many had been gone.

"Never better"

She shook her head. "You never quite learned how to make jokes, did you?"

"Is that a standard Kyoshi Warrior skill?" He questioned earning a chuckle from her. Her fingers slowly running through his hair.

"He is climbing the mountain now" An old cranky voice declared when they felt the rumble of the earth once more, her blind eyes looking down, obviously feeling the monster coming closer. "Big dumb jerk, he won't stop..." She grimaced, and her feet moved with all the power of a master earthbender, the greatest in the world, and yet, after the whole mountain seemed to shake over itself, her mouth twisted. "He is coming."

"No!" The young woman screamed, her hand taking the Avatar's on her own. "Korra needs more time."

"Asami is right" The two brothers were getting up, and he knew what they were about to do before they even moved, for he would be doing the same if he could. "We're getting you time..."

"Yeah, as much as you need"

"Don't be foolish! Mako, Bolin!" her voice was still as bossy as the old days and he smirked, feeling his wife squeezing his hand in agreement. "You two don't need to go out there..."

"But the airbenders… Your children..."

"They will do what they can, and so will I..." Saying that Katara rose to her feet.

"B-but, we need you! You're one of the people who were alive then, we..."

"Asami!" Katara's voice was stern and yet kind. "You already have everyone you need."

"Sparky and Suki got this" He would have held them both down in a hug, squeezing them for all he was worth, but the two old women smiled at him from where they stood. "So what do you say Sugar Queen? Still up for one more fight?"

"Against an evil Avatar bent on destroying everything? Couldn't miss it..."

He said goodbye to two of his best friends with his eyes, Suki squeezing his hand the whole time as debris rained down from the top of the temple. Mako and Bolin were clearly unconvinced as they watched the whole thing, finally coming down to seat with Korra. Whispering… What, he couldn't hear…

Soon, the sound of battle echoed straight from the tunnels and everyone's gazes went to the entrance. Zuko chuckled.

"Toph is gonna drop the mountain on him."

"Not this one I hope," Suki said cheekily…

A purple light suddenly engulfed the top of the temple, and Zuko could see the raining stones ready to crush everyone inside. Bolin was quick, bringing forth a solid ceiling of earth atop of them, darkness suddenly filling the chamber as the few candles were snuffed out.

Silence ruled for a while as Zuko fought to keep himself awake and breathing. The mission seemed so distant, so out of his reach, and yet he kept his fire burning. He did it for her most of all… For the children… For the world, just like his amazing friends would've wanted…

"Korra" Asami's voice lingered from the shadows, and Zuko opened his eyes. Someone, Mako, had produced a small source of light that now flickered over Suki's face. She was not as young as in his dreams. Her hair was gray these days, and her skin crinkled, but her eyes still held the same living mirth from their youth. Still the eyes of a warrior after so many years… "I don't know if you're listening, but please hurry… I know you can do this… Bolin, Mako and I… We know you can do this..."

Something wet touched his feet, and he moved his fingers a bit. A crashing booming sound seemed to be the roar from the earth as the chamber was flooded with water… _Toph… Katara…._

"Korra…." Asami was saying. Zuko looked to Suki… "I love you..."

Like the sun breaking at dawn, the sacred chamber suddenly became alive. The eyes of avatars from all time burst with light and Korra finally rose from the ground. Air, Water, Earth, and Fire floated eerily around the small group as Zuko glimpsed the young water tribe woman, power surrounding her form, something electrical he could feel from a distance… Like Druk's heat in a winter's night, or Suki's lips against his own… It felt like life.

The Avatar kissed her wife softly and glided his way. Her eyes seemed to look for Toph and Katara, Zuko imagined, but found only the fight outside. Wasting no time she quietly knelt by their side, her presence pulsing with power.

"Are the two of you ready?"

"Yes" Suki answered for the both of them, and then there was a thumb pressing against his forehead. Zuko could feel the pain going away, drained from his spirit while he stumbled into the unknown…

He was greeted by the feel of soft silk sheets…

* * *

############################


	2. Chapter 2

**Silk Sheets  
**

* * *

Azula felt her lips tugging in triumph as she stepped over the high tower overlooking the Royal Plaza. She was in the shadows of course, but from the distance she could feel the baited breath from the gathered people, thousands of citizens of the Fire Nation, just waiting for their cue. As the two old farts finally stepped out into the sun, the buzzing slowly ceased.

"Your Princess, Azula, smart and beautiful, disguised herself as the enemy and entered the Earth Kingdom's capital" _Well that was good_. "In Ba Sing Se, she found her brother, Zuko, and together they faced the Avatar, and the Avatar fell, and the Earth Kingdom fell!"

A pause, a beat, a cheer.

"Azula's agents quickly overtook the entire city. They went to Ba Sing Se's great walls and brought them down! The Armies of the Fire Nation surged through the walls, and swarmed over Ba Sing Se, securing our victory!" She could see from the shadows now, like a whole unity, the raised fists of soldiers and commoners… That was what they were made for after all…" Now the heroes have returned home! Your princess, Azula!"

She stepped forward knowingly, assured of her perfection. Her armor was clean and new, the leather strong and shining under the sun. Her hair was perfect, her skin was perfect, her posture was perfect, and the commoners did as they should. Cheering her, loving her.

"And after three long years, your prince has returned, Zuko!"

The cheer was just as big then, and she couldn't help but smirk. Yes, they were made to love them, their rightful rulers, but oh how easy it was to make it so. How easy were they manipulated… Give them a crown, and they shall worship it, but take it away and she was suddenly reminded of her brother's pitiful state in the wake of his banishment. Not that it mattered, it was natural law and it was almost funny that her brother wouldn't last long. Even with all the good help she could give he was incapable of doing so… Her father had realized that already…

By the end of the ceremony, she was escorted back through the city, the carriage moving through the streets as the people heard more and more about her victory. Hers yes… She had done it, something no one, not even her pathetic uncle had accomplished. She conquered a whole kingdom with a few words and cleverness…

Her suite in the palace was just the way she remembered, perfect. Dropping her armor on the floor she chose her robe carefully, the deep red fitting comfortably around her body. She didn't bother to fix the dropped things, the servants would come and put everything away as it was their duty. Mai and Ty Lee were waiting in the balcony, of course, her friends that were so different from one another.

Ty Lee was over the rails, using only her hands to move one way and the other, while Mai kept to herself although years of experience told Azula she was actually chipper.

"Well, it seems everything is done around here girls"

"Oh Azula! You were so pretty back there! You should have seen yourself!" Ty Lee said with a wide grin.

"Well it isn't that hard, and by the way you should know I'll properly reward you two for your loyalty, a house was secured for each in the Caldera, which in itself should be enough, wouldn't you say?"

Mai shrugged. "My father already has a house in the Caldera"

"Oh, yes, how silly of me, to give you a proper one"

"Wait, you mean to say I'm getting a whole place all for myself?" Ty Lee asked, her smile fading. "It sounds great, but does it mean we won't be together anymore?"

"Well, obviously, I will agracciate you with my presence once in a while" Azula assured. She looked over her other friend, watching the small tug of her usually tight lips. "And you Mai? How was it, having my brother's company all the way back? Brooding much?"

Mai remained impassive.

"Well, not much happened, I was so close and didn't even catch a kiss" Ty Lee giggled. "Unless something happened after the curtain cloooosed"

"Nothing happened" Said Mai.

"Oh, so should I intervene then?" Azula smirked, maybe it would be better if she did something. It wouldn't do to have her friend trading her for Zuko, as impossible as it seemed. "Maybe give Zuzu some dating advice, he was away for a long time, wasn't he? Do you think he tried to meet someone out there?"

"Whatever."

"Oh, a love declaration" A blush crept over Mai's stoic face, it was perfect, one more little chain to keep her brother in control, and if her friend became less downcast for it, all the better, right? "Where is Zuzu anyway? He disappeared after the speech."

"Oh, I didn't see him, want me to look for him Azula?' Ty Lee asked sitting down, her feet dangling from the edge of the balcony.

"No need… I have an idea of where he is..."

She turned her back to them and strode down the stairs, getting past the long hallways and high pillars flanking the main halls of the palace. The glistening floor shining under the lights of braziers, her steps hollow as the occasional guard bowed at her passage. It was an old path, one she had taken over the years ever since the woman who thought her a monster went away. She still wondered why her father hadn't burned the place down, a garden hardly had any use for them, and Turtle Ducks were so much better roasted.

Her brother was just where she knew he would be. Even now he was pathetically predictable. Would he always? Sitting there, feeding the pests with bread? After shaking her head, Azula made her face neutral and stepped over the grass.

"You seem so downcast, has Mai gotten to you already? Although Mai has been in a strangely good mood lately."

Her brother didn't look at her, instead she watched his scarred side, his eye was closed. _What are you thinking about Zuzu? Our dear uncle? Father? The woman?_ Her brother took a deep breath and then he turned around, his back straight, revealing a neat silver tray at his side.

"Would you like some tea?" He asked, breathing fire over the teapot, the warm steam rising from the clear liquid. "I'm not very good, but I like to think I could open a shop sometimes."

"Tea?" She crossed her arms. "Oh, I see, your time with Uncle really got to you."

"It did" He replied, more straight forward than she expected. Where was the clumsy denial? How long until he goes to see the old man? She knew it was just a matter of time and yet she did a mental note to keep her eye on him. She scrutinized him carefully, as he poured some tea for her and then for himself. Curiously, she sat down taking a small sip and begrudgingly admitting to herself it was good.

"This tastes like mud."

"Of course" Her brother took some bread and threw at the pond where the turtleducks carefully dared to approach the food.

"So, doing okay? I heard father hasn't called on you yet, it must be tough on you" She prodded, watching his brow knitting carefully. "As Fire Lord he is quite busy, I assure you he cares."

"I was thinking about something else actually," Her brother said softly, his voice sounded even, but she could detect the emotion behind it. _Already showing weakness, typical…_

"And what is that?"

"I was thinking about the time I was banished..." He said taking a sip, she wondered if he actually liked jasmine or if the tea was only to calm his nerves. "When he burned me, do you remember? I never felt so terrified in my life, I actually thought I was going to die. I felt the ground when I fell and I remembered looking over the crowd before passing out… I remember you smiling."

She narrowed her gaze as their eyes met, trying to recall that day. It was for her a rather satisfying memory, the moment she knew her strength had paid off, while Zuko's weakness took him away. Back then, when he had been burned, a small part of her had wondered how the burn must be like, what it would feel to see yourself in the mirror and see something so deformed. It didn't matter of course, it was simply a matter of who was the favorite after all… It was a mark of whom would not be Fire Lord.

"Still holding a grudge for that are you?"

"Not really" Zuko answered, pouring himself a second small cup. "I was actually hoping for clarification"

"Clarification?"

"Yes, you smiled when I was banished, but then when I was on the streets, a nobody, I sent for you remember? You didn't really need to come, but you did. Granted I think you just wanted to get our uncle away from the palace and gain favor with father, but I still wonder… Did you care about me at all?"

Azula paused, looking down on her tea. The clear liquid shook a little as she quietly brought it down. When banished, Zuko had been led away from the palace and the Caldera, forbidden to return. He had been given a week to leave Fire Nation territory, but after only a day he was sleeping on the streets, no one caring for an exiled prince enough to join him in a mad quest for a dead legend. When his message came, she had actually thought about burning it, but the idea of seeing her brother in his worst had an appeal all of its own…

She had found him in the same clothes, sleeping outside, and smelling bad, Mother's favorite. She had found him knowing his request came out of desperation more than any real trust he had for her… Oh, how delightful it had been to play that little game of caring sister though, to choose the words she would tell father, while getting rid of her pathetic uncle. Her father had been accommodating, of course, apparently he had been keeping uncle under watch for some reason, and her proposal to let him go with Zuko was accepted. She had found him a small ship, a companion and at the end of the day, he had to thank her for it. Silently, Azula sipped the tea.

"Is this really about me? Or is it something else? I thought I proved my care for you back in Ba Sing Se, dear brother" She watched his blank face carefully, seeing his eyes finally looking away. Was that guilty? "I gave you the opportunity to prove yourself and you did, and now father can have you back, isn't that great?"

"Father doesn't care about anyone"

Her eyebrow twitched, the statement surprising her which was in itself impressive. She had always been proud to keep up with surprises.

"What is that now?"

"You heard me" Zuzu went on, lowering his tea. "Once I really thought otherwise you know? I thought I could win his approval, his love, my honor, everything I lost… I thought it was all right to sacrificed my beliefs and ideals if I could come home again, but the true is that father doesn't care. He wants people to be useful to him, he wants me to be useful… And you..."

O_h my, that is interesting_. "So what are you saying Zuzu? Traitorous thoughts are not healthy you know?"

A dry laugh escaped his lips, his fingers brushing against the scar on his face. "Have you ever wondered if he would do the same to you in the day you're not useful anymore? In the day when you don't agree with him?"

Azula scoffed. "Well, that is never gonna happen, so why bother thinking about it?"

"You think he loves you"

"Of course he loves me" Now that was getting out of hand, what was her brother thinking?

"I really wished you were right Zula" The old nickname struck her like a slap to the face, a gust of wind bursting from dead memories forcing her teeth to grit against one another. "The funny thing is that you actually see him in the right, that you actually do the same things he does, bullying everyone around you into your will… It… It doesn't last..."

"What doesn't last?"

"Bonds forged on fear"

Frowning she took the small cup and poured the small portion of tea on the ground, rising to her feet. "You know what Zuzu? I was really having high hopes for you, I came here all on my own to see how you were doing, but now I see your banishment taught you nothing at all, your time with Uncle had done the damage."

"I think the Avatar is alive"

She stopped mid-stride, the shade of the tree engulfing her in a cold blanket as she slowly turned towards her brother. "Oh, really now?"

"Yes..." Her brother said sadly. "His friends had a special healing water from the spirit's oasis with them, he probably survived. I thought you should know before you tell father you killed him"

Huffing, she watched her brother finishing his tea under the sun, and walked away. A small smile coming to her lips. Well, it was a shame really, but if her brother was so determined to be a failure she could push him a little in the right direction… Maybe pushing would mean giving him a little credit after all.

As she practiced her words to tell father how Zuko ferociously overwhelmed the Avatar in combat, she carefully pushed the rest of his words to the back of her mind, together with the small seed of fear it brought forth.

* * *

Walking towards the throne room certainly had mixed feelings stirring inside him. For one, it was strange not to see it as a welcome hold of his family's power, second, it had now the presence of a man Zuko had not thought about it in a very long time. It had taken him years to really get rid of Ozai's shadow. To look at his own children without fear of becoming a monster, to make decisions assured that he was deciding from his heart and not from some ghost of his father's influence. Suki certainly had her share of time comforting him after nightmares…

Now as the symbol of the black flame appeared before him, Zuko took a deep breath. He had faced his sister, dragons, and enemies all over the world, yet his father still felt like a humongous threat in comparison. He was only a man, and yet the thought of facing those blank eyes all over again twisted his guts into knots even now. Opening the room with a brush across the drapes, Zuko slowly stepped inside, the song of flickering fire echoing across the chambers as he knelt and the shadow beyond spoke.

"You have been away for a long time. I see the way of your travels has changed you. You've redeemed yourself my son." Carefully, Zuko allowed his courage to move his gaze up and met his father's as the Fire Lord walked forward from the wall of flames. "Welcome home"

_This isn't my home._ He thought, overwhelmed by a drowning heart. _My home is a Fire Nation one can be proud of, my home is my friends, my children… Suki…_ He allowed the words to pass through him, like wind, the pain of loss too fresh, his tears needed to be contained in his chambers.

"I'm proud of you, Prince Zuko. I'm proud because you and your sister conquered Ba Sing Se. I'm proud because when your loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle, you did the right thing and captured the traitor. And I'm proudest of all of your most legendary accomplishment. You slew the Avatar."

A beat, silence. He could feel his heart hammering inside his ribcage as the words he had wished to hear all through his childhood disappeared like fog in the rising sun. Licking his lips, he bowed further, ignoring the urge to turn on the figure at his back.

"I did for you and our nation, father"

"Indeed, and your efforts were certainly amazing. You sister herself described how impressed she was with your power and ferocity" His shadow covered him and Zuko looked up, meeting the gaze and handsome features of a rather common man, hiding a rotting heart.

"Thank you"

Later, he walked away in a daze. Lightheaded and fearful. It was all he could do not to fear his own shadow as he walked out of the palace. A quick research brought him all the way to the message hawks, where he scribbled a quick message to the western navy, using his seal of Prince. It would take a while now, but his father had been surprisingly accommodating with his request.

That done, he made his way to his room, where he collapsed exhausted on the bed. It was easy to give in and sob... Sleep took a long time to come.

* * *

Away from there, reaching the Fire Nation coast, the Avatar opened his eyes, the warmth of his friends' love easing his troubled heart, a balm after the cold of the storm. He looked into her kind blue eyes and felt the reason pushing his guilty away. His fear… He couldn't be alive right now… Not really, his race to the Fire Nation had been rash and irresponsible.

When his glider burned at the edge of the glowing lava, Aang finally let go. If he was to succeed, he needed to remain dead, but more than that he needed his friends.

* * *

####################


	3. Chapter 3

**FREEDOM  
**

* * *

She woke up on a hard surface, rolling over a thin improvised mattress.

The world greeted her sweaty and uncomfortable, with hoarse wool clothes scratching her skin. She knew where she was right away, and immediately cursed under her breath for her lack of luck. Really, from all the times she could have come back to, this had to be the worst of all. A time of limited power and horrible conditions. Worrying her lower lip, she sat up, staring around at the small familiar cell, the hard masonry walls, the smelly chamber pot and reinforced iron door. Ten feet wide and twenty feet long. In the past she would have nightmares about this, but not anymore. She was a warrior, and she hadn't feared this prison even in her youth. Only the loneliness had come close to breaking her, but come morning her tears would dry and she would go on.

"Deep breaths Suki, deep breaths"

She made sure to control the air entering her lungs when the blare of a warning was closely followed by the ruckus of opening doors.

Morning.

If her knowledge didn't fail her, it meant she had a full hour out in the yard, enjoying the sun in the company of the rest of the prisoners.

As soon as she walked outside she stretched out her arms, feeling every muscle and bone obeying without complaint. The expected pain never came. It was easy to feel a laugh bubbling from her lips. Despite everything, every ache scarred inside her heart, the people she missed, she could appreciate the small joy of a younger body. Running all the way across the yard, she felt her muscles burning over solid bones, her heart pounding freely as she took deep breaths, the effort enough to make her smile. How long had it been since she could run like that?

Cleaning duty came later, sweeping all of the cell blocks, high and low.

Lunch was delayed, out of cruelty she had no doubt, and barely five minutes passed before she was called out to empty chamber pots. That was even crueler. Of course, the Warden wouldn't be better than her faint memories of this place, he was even worse. She gritted her teeth and did her job.

The rest of the day was spent locked inside her cell, a time she used to lock her feet on the ground and flex her muscles, feeling them in squats, push-ups, and other exercises until they were burning and her breathing normalized. Then the work began. Taking deep breaths, she fell into a posture that had been with her since she was eight. It was different. She was not old any longer, and this body was smaller than she remembered. She tried one punch, two… a jump, a kick. She got through her kata slowly, stumbling in more places than she liked. By the third time she was beginning to find her balance.

The second day was much the same.

As the days passed, she found herself watching somewhat familiar faces. The prisoner that had escaped with her, Sokka and Zuko so long ago was there, with a friend and a girlfriend. The Warden would show his ugly mug from time to time as well, and she would ignore him.

At night she thought of Zuko and tried not to think about the mess this whole situation would create. Last time she had been here, she thought a lot about Sokka, about her sisters, but now her heart drifted back to her husband and her daughters… _Spirits, let me hold them again one __d__ay._

On the seventh day, they interrogated her.

She had almost forgotten this routine.

She was taken into an empty room, sat on a chair and stared down by a masked face while he asked questions. _Do you see this map? Where are the Earth Kingdom's fortresses? Where would the rebels hide? Where were the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors? Who was their leader? Do you know the Avatar? Do you know his friends? Where would they hide?_

She kept a straight face and refused to answer.

Later, she went back to her cell with numb pain pulsing from her guts and ribs. The punches hurt, but in this body, it almost made her feel powerful that she could stand them. Suki rose to her feet when the lights were off and got into her posture yet again.

She pressed her teeth together and moved through the forms, punching and kicking invisible enemies. That night she didn't stumble.

On the tenth day, she rested and cried.

On the fifteenth, her door opened earlier than usual, punctuate by a harsh voice. "Get up prisoner!"

"What is it?"

"You're being transferred" The guards took her arms and made her move, almost pushing her up the stairs.

Her mind raced with the possibility, wondering briefly if she should use the opportunity to escape. A lack of any memories of this happening held her back as she was escorted into the open, and towards the top tower office that looked over the whole prison. It was the warden's office and he was there, staring down a scroll with the cruel hard eyes of someone who enjoyed power and authority for his own sake. Suki wondered if she could get away with punching his guts, but there was someone talking to him in there. Middle-aged, with gray hair and whiskers. His posture and armor that of a soldier as he talked to the warden.

"The prisoner you requested, sir" the Warden looked up, nodded and frowned.

"I still fail to understand why this woman is going to Capital Prison, General… What was your name again?"

"Jee… Sir."

"Jee, I never heard of you." The warden commented sipping from a small cup and pursing his lips in thought.

"My promotion was very recent."

"So why is she being transferred?"

"I'm afraid I'm not authorized to divulge that information."

"Aren't you now?"

The gray-haired man, Jee, frowned. "If you have any doubts sir, by all means, send a message back to the Fire Nation and wait for an answer. I'll just wait at the docks and you can explain the delay to the owner of that seal."

It was like the Warden had suddenly drunk a whole load of piss instead of tea. His brows furrowed, his mouth twisted and his eyes bore into the scroll again. Suki felt her heart rushing a bit, even if she couldn't see what seal was there she had a sudden rush of hope to what it might mean.

"Just take her then"

The General bowed quickly, motioning towards his own men. Suki walked away from the guards, grinned insolently towards the Warden and met two firebenders who quietly escorted her inside the ferry. The big chunk of metal trembled and moved, the steam rising all around them as the trip brought her farther and farther from that stupid prison. _When I'm Fire Lady again, I'm sending that Warden to a cell without a chamber pot! Or retirement with a public scolding…._ It would depend on her mood really and the actual state of those prisoners upon revaluation. Yes, she seemed to remember Zuko granting pardons to many people unjustly imprisoned during his father's reign.

Relief settling in, she watched those with her. The firebenders were both young, both with masks off, one fidgeting all the time while the other had missed his shave that morning, his beard consisting of a fuzzy scruff of hair. General Jee was clearly the more experienced from the bunch, his eyes always on her instead of the view.

"So, Lieu… I mean, General." Beardy said. "Who is she anyway?"

"She is a high priority prisoner soldier, that is all you need to know"

The two looked to one another, baby face cleared his throat. "It's just that, when you took us out of duty, we wondered if this was something important."

"And you've been acting strange lately"

"I'm acting completely normal!" Jee defended himself, indignantly.

"A-are you sure sire?"

"You are shouting more than usual"

"I'm not!" The man finally snapped, making the guards wince. "And no talking, not in front of the prisoner."

"I don't mind really" She smiled sweetly, but the three ignored her, looking away. "I've been without anyone to talk to for so long now, you could indulge a girl here. Come on, what are the news of the world?"

"W-well..." baby face started, he looked to his leader, but the man didn't budge. "We… We took Ba Sing Se, and… The Avatar is dead, at least everyone says so. The war is almost over I think..."

"I can't wait to go home really, me and a friend were planning a trip for a long time now." Beardy said dreamily, but Suki saw the way the General's shoulder's tensed. _Interesting. _Paying more attention, she realized the man seemed tired, with bags under his eyes and loose ill-fitting clothes. Suki smirked. He was a general for not that long if he didn't have tailored uniforms yet, and now that she paid really close attention, he did seem familiar somewhat, but the memory escaped her the harder she tried to catch it.

Too soon they had crossed the lake, and she was brought out into the sun. Komodo Rhinos made the climb down from the top of the mountain to a point where she could see a huge warship stationed at the docks. It was one of the new ones, at least to this time, powered by two huge steam engines and armed with trebuchets. Suki licked her lips, remembering the fear of seeing those in the horizon as much as the power they actually evoked when she had to command the navy.

The room they brought her to was large and well furnished, not at all the room of a prisoner. As she took the sight of the made-up bed, and clothes, she idly felt when Jee took off her cuffs and stepped back.

"I was instructed to give you this." The man said bringing a folded scroll from his belt. Suki took the paper and opened, a grin forming on her face as she read over her husband's words.

Her birthday was months away, and here he was giving off warships.

"I take it your companions don't know much about all of this" She observed, moving to the bed and smiling widely at the sight of the two bronze fans resting over the red silk.

"No, not really..." Jee said frowning. "The whole crew is loyal, but my instructions were to leave any revelations to you… Ma'am"

"I see…" Suki tapped her chin, thoughtfully. "And how do you feel about all of this General?"

"I..." he hesitated and Suki raised an eyebrow.

"Having second thoughts?" Silence… Suki sighed. "Please, be truthful, in every way you put it, this is treason, so I need to know how you feel about it. I know Zuko wouldn't have gone to you if you're not trustworthy, but I care about the people under my command all the same."

For a moment Suki allowed herself the strangeness of watching a middle-aged man fidgeting in place, his eyes darting around the room for a bit.

"To be honest Ma'am, I haven't felt much like fighting ever since Ba Sing Se… Sixth hundred days and I had a much better idea about war and what it meant. We lost, I came home only to find my parents dead and the love of my life already married. There is not much left for a soldier later on. When General Iroh called upon me to serve his nephew it was better than nothing, and I respect the general… Later I came to respect his nephew as well… Now?" He licked his lips, and she saw his shoulders sagging. His guard was down. "He called his old crew to the palace, we had been lucky to survive the battle at the North Pole… I thought it was some sort of ceremony, some compensation, and I was looking forward to get anything at all and leave, but then he called me to speak in private. He gave me a promotion and asked me to have faith the Fire Nation could actually become a home again, without war, without violence… And I was, tempted… Hopeful…"

Suki nodded, glad Zuko had found someone like this. If the rest of the crew was like Jee maybe everything would work out.

"And how are you feeling now?"

"Now?" He looked down.

"Yes now," She said gently. "You met Prince Zuko, heard his words and then received this mission to free an Earth Kingdom prisoner and possibly join the Avatar you were hunting for five years. Are you still feeling hopeful?"

"I'm… I'm still here." Jee answered and Suki offered him a sad smile. For a man like him, it must have been hard to go against allegiances formed by years of service… Either that, or he saw this treason as a service to the Fire Nation and nothing more. If he was at the North Pole he certainly witnessed some terrifying sights...

"All right, we have some time before we meet Zuko in Ember Island" She pushed her way to the map of the Fire Nation hanging from the wall, a smirk slowly coming to her lips as she found the place she was looking for. The two of them didn't exactly have a plan for the situation, Korra's power was rather random about how far they would be sent back, so improvisation was clearly the rule here and she was about to go all out on it.


	4. Chapter 4

**PIECES AND HEARTS  
**

* * *

"Y-your majesty… W-what can I do for you?"

"At ease" he said watching the woman parting her stance, although the tension didn't disappear from her shoulders. "What is your name?"

"M-Ming, your majesty"

"Ming" He had walked straight inside wearing his hooded robe, just as the sun peeked over the horizon. Stumbling over three disgruntled guards, before finding her familiar features patrolling the top floors. "You've been working here long?"

"Huh… Six months, your majesty"

"There is no need to call me that, please" he asked. She was clearly nervous for which he was somewhat thankful. It would do him no good to have someone questioning the presence of a royal, here of all places.

"Right, huh, sir" She said licking her lips.

"Thanks, I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"Anything for a Fire Prince" She was smiling more eagerly now and Zuko couldn't help but join in, producing a small basket.

"Make sure to search it, and if anyone asks, you were given an order understand?" Ming frowned, she reached out but hesitated in taking it. Her eyes weary and Zuko couldn't really blame her. "It's for General Iroh, he might be a traitor, but he is still my uncle and he deserves a nice meal once in a while. I hope you can understand."

"Of course, sir."

"Thank you" He was about to move away when he stopped short, a memory from long ago suddenly striking him with its bitterness. Gulping slowly, he brushed away the feel of his tears and looked back at Ming. "One more thing, I don't think the general and I are on the best terms, would you please not mention this came from me? I would really appreciate it."

"Oh, huh… O-of course sir."

Smiling sadly, Zuko offered her a nod and sneaked out of the prison by the same path he came from, avoiding the guards as best as he could. Out in the sun, he walked all the way back to the city, watching the populated streets flooding with nobles. They went around in their fancy clothes, chatting about the state of the world. You think there will be new colonies soon? My son would do well ruling one. Ba Sing Se has so many riches, I wonder what will arrive here now. The Fire Lord is surely to declared the war over soon, my children will finally come home. I say we take care of them, you know? Those rebels, our forces have been far too lenient. Earth kingdom people are all trash if you ask me. And so it went, with them barely realizing how sheltered they were, how mistaken. It made him sick.

Closer to the palace, he made a turn.

Zuko went to her.

It wasn't an easy choice.

Honestly, if he could choose, he would've come back before this whole mess even started, but now that it was done, he felt no other path beyond doing the right thing, and that might mean breaking one of his best friends' heart.

As he walked inconspicuously through the street, Zuko tried to think the words through, over and over again he rehearsed them in his head. Guards tried to stop him at the gates until he removed his hood, their behavior changing immediately, servants arriving out of nowhere offering apologies and compliments that would have amused him if he wasn't so nervous.

She was waiting for him

Of course she was, either that, or she was simply bored out of her mind, using the divan to stretch herself out.

"Zuko, what a surprise."

"Hi Mai" he greeted her, watching the gigantic living room. It was empty, for which he was glad. "I was wanting to see you."

"Well, I'm glad you did" she got up, but he held her back a little bit. Her passive expression became confused, her brows knitted. "What is it?"

"Is there a private place for us to talk?"

"This is private, you thought I was going to kiss you in front of people or something?"

He couldn't help but chuckle, yes this was Mai all right. Agni, he missed her. "You're right, sorry"

A frown etched itself in Mai's face as she looked him over, Zuko felt almost naked under her scrutiny, she knew there was something happening, of course she knew. This was the same woman he made his head of intelligence once.

"I have to talk to you about some things" He finally said, unable to stand the silence.

"Things huh? Please tell me you're not getting sappy Zuko, you know I hate that"

She offered him one of her small smiles, fleeting. "Actually, I think I might be, but that is not the case now"

"What is it then?" He took a deep breath, quietly asking permission to seat across from her. His hands were sweating, at his back he could feel the sun sinking to the west over Capital City. "You're different."

He blinked looking over her, silently asking for clarification.

"You're different. I mean, you were different before, after you joined Azula, but ever since we arrived you're different again. Back at the ship you were nervous, now you stand there seeming so sure of yourself" She frowned again, leaning back over the soft cushions. "I take your father said some nice things to you or something."

"No" He thought he would start this with explanations, with long speeches and justifications, reasons and more reasons, the same way he would need to convince a council or a mayor about new politics. Instead he caught himself blurting out the truth. "I'm going to join the Avatar"

The cup fell and shattered on the ground, the scream of a thousand pieces of porcelain spreading across the floor as Mai's features remained completely blank. Almost immediately a door banged open and a skinny young servant hurried to see the mess…

"Oh, my, mistress Mai, what happened?" She said going to clean, until Mai raised a hand.

"Leave us..."

"But..."

"I said, leave us." She never raised her voice, but Zuko could tell she was angry all the same, it was all in the rigid way she moved, so unlike her more elegant motions. When the door closed again, she fixed him under her gaze. "Is this your idea of a joke Zuko? Because you know I hate jokes."

"I'm aware of that."

"The Avatar is dead, you killed him."

"That was a lie, Mai, Azula said that so I can fall in disgrace when he shows up again alive."

"So what, you're doing this just to get back at her?"

"I think you know me better than that" immediately she looked away, and Zuko felt the balance tipping. This was dangerous, he repeated to himself. One false step and he could end up in prison, or worse. His uncle was always teaching him how to be patient, and he liked to think he learned over the years. He waited for Mai.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I thought you should know..." He paused. "Because I think you deserve to know."

"You want me to go with you?" She questioned and now he hesitated.

"I want you to choose your own path, Mai, despite what I do with my life."

He watched her hands brushing something inside her sleeves. Was she thinking of throwing a knife at him? "And you want to join the Avatar, why?"

"I think it's the right thing to do, I think the rest of the world is afraid of us. I saw it with my own eyes, and there is so much more than that. I believe we can be a better nation, one that doesn't rely on violence and cruelty, but something more, something stronger. A place where our people are safe and Ty Lee doesn't need to hide who she likes."

Her eye twitched, was she surprised he knew?

"I'm your girlfriend, shouldn't I get a say in this?"

Now his heart sunk. He couldn't escape this, he really couldn't. Speaking was worse than thinking it, because he didn't want to break her heart, he didn't want to hurt her and mostly, he would hate to die with a knife in the eye. Suki would be so mad if he did. Before he could say anything though Mai had taken one look at his lowered shoulders and snorted, he tried to speak anyway.

"Mai… I care about you a great deal but, I don't think I can love you like that." He looked down and closed his eyes. He was not sure what her reaction would be, but he knew she deserved his respect more than anything.

"You're breaking up with me"

"Yes"

"You're breaking up with me so you can join the Avatar?"

"No" He meet her gaze halfway, trying to let her know this was his decision. "I want us to break up because you deserve someone who is better for you Mai, I'm not that person. I'm not sure I ever was. I like you, I enjoy your company a great deal, but I can't lie and say our relationship is going to work out in the end."

"That is a pretty big talk coming from a traitor."

"I've always been one I guess" he said smiling wearily.

"If you don't love me, why did you come back then?"

I do love you, he wanted to reply, but that would blur too many lines and this conversation was already hard enough. His heart sinking, he thought of a boat so long ago, Azula's words. "I… I came back because Azula threatened my uncle upon our departure from the Earth Kingdom" He explained, watching her fingers twitching, her shoulders tensing slightly. He did his best to keep his body relaxed. As far as Mai knew he was a traitor and a liar, it wouldn't be any good to suddenly expect a fight.

"Do you love someone else? That peasant from Ba Sing Se, perhaps?"

"Peasant? What are..." He blinked, assaulted all of the sudden by the memory, yes, Jin. "No, I mean, currently I do love someone else, but is not her."

Mai's expression, which had eased for a brief moment when he denied her claim, suddenly took a turn for the somber. Downcast she rose from the divan in silence, walking towards her room.

"Mai..."

When he realized what was happening the knife had already hit the floor a finger away from his toes. Her voice was devoid of anything. "Leave"

He did.

* * *

The crew of thirty was reunited in the bowls of the ship, a small number of people, basically the essential for a vessel of that size, and now she was just hoping they would keep being thirty.

Taking a deep breath she stepped into the deck, walking amongst the men in her own scarlet robes, loose pants, and soldier boots which fit her just right. Thank Agni for the Fire Nation's unisex military policy. The golden fans were the only thing identifying her as a Kyoshi Warrior, and she displayed them proudly at her hips.

Standing before the crew, Suki took a deep breath. She could do this, she had led armies before, troops, small and big. This was nothing, and yet the fate of the whole world might depend on her success. She paused, letting the buzzing of whispered questions continue for a bit until General Jee shouted for silence.

"You all gathered here today must be aware that I was a prisoner until a moment ago, am I correct?" Nods. "Well, General Jee must have gone to you weeks ago, and he probably let you all know you were been called by your old leader, Prince Zuko. Am I to believe you're all loyal to him?"

More nods, and watchful eyes.

"To all of you, my name is Suki. I'm a Kyoshi Warrior and I come from the Earth Kingdom. I'm also an ally to your Prince, however what I'm about to tell is not a matter of loyalty, honor or duty in any way. The decision I'm about to ask of you, in full knowledge of Prince Zuko from the Fire Nation, is one each must make for themselves, am I clear?"

More whispers, this time though, a skinny, short man stepped forward, raising his hand. Suki nodded.

"What exactly are you saying, lady?"

"I'm saying that this ship is as of now, in service of the Avatar, and the balance of the world." Silence, deadly horrible silence, filled the space of the hold. "I know many of you have heard that the Avatar died in Ba Sing Se. I assure you it is not true. Whether you believe it or not though, you must decide what you're going to do. You've all traveled the world, you have been living in the Fire Nation for months, you know about prison camps, the policies and the war. I won't go on about that. I also won't speak about what Zuko wants, General Jee said you all served under him at some point, and so you also know his story and the kind of man he is."

"If any of you do not wish to commit treason, or believe Ozai to be the best for the Fire Nation, there will be no existing records of your association with us. You'll be set free at the shores of Fire Fountain city, and from there you can do as you wish. If you join us, be aware of what that will mean to yourselves and what you believe, be aware this will be a fight with consequences and danger." She took a deep breath, almost feeling like she was Fire Lady again. "In the end, what I'm asking is for you to help me free not only the world, but your own country, I'm asking for courage, faith and even a bit of snark."

There were a few smiles at her last words and she decided that was the moment. "If you choose to stay, please raise your hand."

Silence greeted the end of her speech, and for a long while she could hear the crew whispering amongst themselves, the muttering growing and diminishing as they slowly came to a decision.


	5. Chapter 5

**TIGHTROPE  
**

* * *

Summer in the Fire Nation usually meant a lot of things.

It would mean festivals and parties all over the land, it would mean the high season of whatever small crops managed to be farmed and heat waves that would come and go like a thief in the night.

Today, Zuko felt, was a day of such waves, and as a Firebender, he would be lying if he said the heat was not welcome. He moved from the first stance to the second, his fists rising and falling, following the motions of his legs to keep his body balanced. The warmth made it less of an effort to heat up his chi so, for the first time in days, practicing felt a little less of a chore. All the while, he breathed through his nose, and out of his mouth.

_ _The Key to _ _ _firebending_ _ _ is proper breathing._ _

A he finished the routine he slowly waited for his body to cool down, the sweat making his muscles glow in the morning sun as he turned to the sound of movement at his was a pink whirlwind of flips coming his way, a sight that was more than welcome as Ty Lee stopped in front of him, so strange and yet familiar.

"Hey Zuko, have you seen Azula around? I want to know if she would go shopping with me." The girl grinned, her gray eyes watched him wearily, friendly eyes no matter age or uniform.

"I haven't seen her around" He confessed. "Maybe she is in her room."

"Hh… I'll check it out..."

"Wait" The girl stopped, perked up and smiled waiting for whatever he was going to say. Zuko cleared his throat. "Would you like to spar a little? I'm a little rusty and feel like I need an opponent here, what do you say?"

"Hh, I will get all sweaty and dirty."

"I thought you worked in a circus."

"Got me" She giggled and cartwheeled in front of him falling in a fighting stance that was as delicate as she would seem at first glance. Zuko smiled and got ready, palm open in front of his body. He watched Ty Lee carefully, only getting a moment's notice before she came at him, her feet hitting the ground and pushing her forward, her hands launching short jabs towards his face and gut. He blocked as best as he could, stepping back all the time. It was not enough of course, and soon he winced and retreated.

If that was a real fight he would be limp on the ground.

"You okay?" Ty Lee asked.

"Just getting the hang of it" he said inhaling a mouthful of air, and falling in the same stance as before.

This time he was better, dodging her instead of facing her blows, keeping a solid foundation as he used elbows and knees to block her.

"You know, you're a little unbalanced, and a little weak, even for a spar" Ty Lee pointed out, bending her body back to avoid his twirling kick. "How long has it been since you fought someone?"

"A while," Zuko said feeling all the loss his body felt from his time in the Earth Kingdom and those leisure years of his retirement. Hunger made him lose muscles, and age made him lose skill. A conundrum of traveling from an old man to this point in time, one that he felt no need to explore further. He tried for her head, but her blocks were as quick and precise as he would expect from a chi blocker. He fainted left then and found an opening to take her feet from under her, but Ty Lee easily back flipped away and smiled. "Almost there."

"Getting better" Ty Lee nodded. "You know, your fighting is a little clumsy, but your aura, on the other hand, is quite different."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it was always this angry red before, you know?" She said twirling her fingers and grimacing in demonstration. "Now it's all orange and soothing like a… A… A sunrise!" She chirped, jumping up and down. "It's rather nice."

"Thanks" Zuko said taking another stance, and refraining from telling Ty Lee that he felt pretty far from a sunrise. No, what he felt truly was exhaustion, like his limbs were heavy weights trying to drag him down, his mind a pile of mud threatening to undo him at any moment.

They traded another set of blows, moving around the courtyard in a dance of punches and kicks, not once hitting the dodging acrobat. Still, he was beginning to feel more like himself before asking a question that bloomed in his mind as soon as Ty Lee made her observation. "How is Azula's aura?"

"What?" She was so surprised, he almost didn't stop his fist in time, ending the punch before it could hit her leg. Ty Lee didn't seem to notice, her eyes looking away, hands close to her body.

"Ty Lee? I'm sorry, if you don't want to answer, it's okay"

"No, no it's fine..." The girl said, sitting down. Zuko threw her a towel and quietly joined her under the bright sun. He offered her some water, which she took in small sips, before she finally seemed ready to talk. "Her aura is… Different..."

"Different?"

"Yes… She has this bright aura you know? All blue, and overreaching… It's kind of like looking over the ocean"

"The ocean?" He imagined Azula would have fire everywhere.

"Yes, exactly." She stopped a little, pursing her lips although he could clearly see her eyes shining a bit, some sort of longing breaking through her usually cheerful persona, if only for a moment. "It's an aura that won't care for what is around it, but at the same time feels very lonely. Do you understand?"

"I guess"

Zuko had always known his sister had issues that could never be dealt with in the time he had, still, he really didn't want to send her to jail, or an institute. He had racked his brain for a long time wondering what he could say to make her free herself from their father's influence, but everything he came up with felt like it wasn't enough. Because it wasn't just his father, he knew that Azula had some pretty problematic thoughts of her own, thing he couldn't even begin to understand. Any word he thought of speaking, seemed only more likely to cause her to kill him or disappear so he would never see her again. Weirdly, he couldn't decide which one was worst.

"You okay Zuko?"

"What?"

"You seemed like you went away there for a moment." Zuko suddenly remembered Ty Lee teaching Izumi to cartwheel under the sun and couldn't help but smile.

"It's nothing. I just really liked training with you, do you think we can practice again tomorrow?"

"Oh, I would love that, you know it's quite hard to keep shape when you have to do all these exercises alone. Back at the circus, there was always someone to chat while you worked" She said fondly.

"Even if you get sweaty and dirty?"

Ty Lee grimaced. "Well… I do get to have a nice relaxing bath afterwards, so…."

He chuckled at her silly smile, he was going to agree with her when someone cleared their throat close by. Spinning around, Zuko felt a sudden chill at the sight of his sister watching from the shadows, seeming very displeased.

"Oh my, what do we have here? Trying to improve your bending dear brother?"

"Is that a problem?" He asked.

"Not at all, but I thought you should be with another bender at least. After all, what use is practicing your bending if you don't use it?" She walked into the sun, her eyes going to Ty Lee who offered her a forced smile. "I thought we were going shopping, but it seems you found more interesting things to be doing."

"No! No, Azula, I was just… I mean… I thought you wouldn't… mind..."

"Wouldn't mind? Well, if you suppose the time of a princess is so vast she can simply dispose of it when her friend wishes to, I guess you're right" That was no question about the error of her mood, clearly Ty Lee had no idea how to answer.

Zuko had enough at seeing the girl shrinking. "Stop that, Azula."

"Stop what?"

"Being this… mean, Ty Lee had no intention of wronging you"

"Intention and action are two different things, I could argue the later has far more consequences." She said frowning. "Besides, do I need to remind you that that is my friend you're talking to, dumb-dumb?"

"No" He came closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "But can't you see you're making her nervous?"

Azula's eyes seemed almost amused as she looked over his shoulder, where he knew she would be seeing Ty Lee fidgeting, too afraid to move. "She should be, for this little treason."

"Why does it have to be treason with you?"

"I don't know, maybe because there are so many going around?" She smirked. "Tell me, Zuzu, how is our dear uncle?"

"He is fine, I left some komodo chicken for him." He smiled, taking in the glare at his confrontation. He wouldn't retreat, not from her. If there was something he knew about Azula was that retreating wouldn't help her, not then and not now. He wouldn't make the same mistakes twice, he wouldn't lose his sister.

Her eyes sparkled. "You should be more careful, Dumb-dumb."

"Why won't you just tell father? I'm sure he would love to give me another memento."

Azula scoffed. "Well, and here I was trying to protect you, maybe I was wrong to do so."

"So you do care about me" He said offering a smile he felt was horribly sincere. Azula was so good at reading people he doubted she wouldn't pick up on it. Sure enough, her pleasant smile disappeared, silence looming over them.

"Wow, Zuko, your smile is sort of cute… I…." Ty Lee stopped when Azula shot a glare her way, but Zuko just kept smiling.

"Thanks"

* * *

Ty Lee could feel that Azula's mood was as sour as old milk as the other girl barked at her servants to ready her palanquin. Her angry stare making the men and women do their jobs twice as fast as the two of them sat on the cushions to cross the palace grounds.

Sharing the small space with Azula would have been a nice little indulgence from her part in any other day. She would stay there smiling and would steal tiny glances at her friend from time to time, and if Azula was in a good mood she wouldn't even mind her hands playing with her hair. Today that was not happening and Ty Lee felt a little bad for it._ Maybe I shouldn't have trained with Zuko like that…_

She had known Azula ever since they were little, and she had always known the princess had a knack for getting what she wanted whenever she wanted. Mai's disappearance had been an annoyance lately, but Ty Lee was doing her best to fill their time despite their trio lacking a member. She was sure Mai would be back when she figured out whatever was bugging her and meanwhile she kept Azula happy. She would show up at dawn, and talk the whole day, she would invite the princess to go shopping, and sometimes she would accompany her to inspect troops. It was not an easy job though, she was starting to realize. Training with Zuko had clearly been too much.

Ty Lee didn't like when Azula was mad at her. It was like her days grew darker somewhat, and not only because of her friend's mood. When she described to Zuko that Azula's aura was like the ocean she spoke the truth. Despite being a firebender, the deep and dark waters made a perfect mirror of who her friend was. Unstoppable, cold, wild, undeterred and ready to make you fall in love with it despite knowing it could drown you and drag you to the darkness.

"Did he say anything?" She was so engrossed in her own thoughts she took a moment to understand the question.

"Who?"

"My brother!" Azula barked. "Did he say anything while you were both… practicing?"

She drawled the word like she was describing something ugly and Ty Lee suddenly remembered the heat of her flames burning the safety net of her presentation. She had thought once that she could ignore those amber eyes of hers, but after only a few weeks together her heart had started beating faster whenever she was a target of that gaze.

"No..." She started. "I mean, we just talked, mostly about his fighting, it's not as good as it should be."

Azula nodded, humming to herself. "I would think you should know better to be on your toes around a possible traitor, Ty Lee, I'm a little disappointed." She said and Ty Lee felt her heart sinking. "However..."

"What?"

"It might be useful if he lowers his guard close to you, maybe." Azula said thoughtfully, and Ty Lee knew her well enough to realize she was intrigued, confused even after her conversation with Zuko. It was there, right below her anger. "I've been thinking that maybe Zuzu deserves some retribution anyway, his behavior has been close to insolence lately."

"Maybe..."

"Let's go see Mai"

Ty Lee blinked, she started to say something and Azula pointedly glared her way, clearly daring her to say a word. Shrinking at the realization she had burned her goodwill for the day, Ty Lee simply sat down and waited, the palanquin turning around and moving to Mai's house.

The girl wore her usual blank stare when they met her, but at Azula's demanding suggestion she quietly joined their excursion into the market.

The Caldera's commercial district was appropriate to its main target costumers, selling everything, from silky and marble to the fanciest foods even a Princess would enjoy. Everywhere they looked, rich colorful pottery would stand in beautiful pedestals, while diamonds, rubies and amethysts hanged from earrings and collars inside a small secured shop. They spent their time chatting mindless subjects, Azula putting fear in the heart of a cute waiter and later, the manager himself. They entered shops and she used a few words to get things for free, and Ty Lee watched everything fascinated, admiring the gowns and the jewels, in special a pretty red gold bracelet Azula twirled around her finger. The princess caught her stare for a moment, rolled her eyes and tossed it her way.

They bought dresses as well, and by the time they finally traveled back home, the servants were carrying heavy loads of newly acquired riches.

"That was fun!" Ty Lee said smiling at her friends, she had gotten a new set of earrings, a diadem, and sandals. Mai was even wearing a new golden satchel over a dark black kimono. Azula remained in her armor though, not even throwing a look towards her new acquisitions.

"Yes, I can think that maybe it was, especially the part where that manager thought we would pay for the food, as if I hadn't done him an honor by having lunch there."

Azula smiled and Ty Lee giggled.

Suddenly, she allowed herself to believe they were young again, running down the halls of the Royal Academy, with Azula already using her authority to get away with stuff, and even getting Mai to smile on occasion. Those had been her earliest memories when she didn't feel like a matched set. With Mai and Azula, she had for the first time felt like Ty Lee, and they were not out there fighting wars and such.

"I missed this, all of us, hanging out together, without all the fighting you know?" She looked back, trying to see if any of her friends shared her opinion.

"Do you agree with Ty Lee, Mai?"

"I don't really care." The girl replied, and Ty Lee caught a glint in Azula's eyes, the peace from before disappearing, washed away by the waves.

"Yes, you've been strangely quiet this whole trip, even more than usual." Azula mentioned. "You would tell us if something was bothering you, wouldn't you, Mai?"

The other girl spared a small sideways glance their way. "Of course I would."

Ty Lee blinked, Mai's aura seemed so messy right then, it was hard to tell if she was been sincere.

"Especially considering that you and my brother are close, did you know he went to visit Uncle in prison? You better watch out so your boyfriend doesn't make any mistakes" The fire princess pointed out, and this time there was no missing the way Mai's shoulders suddenly tensed, a mere second before they went back to normal. "Did he speak to you about that?"

"No, he did not"

"Well, that is a shame" Azula smirked stopped in front of Mai's house, signaling a stop. "I think Ty Lee would like to spend some time with you, by the way. Make sure to behave. And Mai, surely you will let me know if anything happens, he is my dear brother after all."

With that she was gone, been carried back towards the palace while a few servants stayed behind with Mai's new stuff.

After a long pause in which the acrobat could count her heartbeats, she heard a long sigh coming from her back. Mai seemed horribly tired as she spied with a sideways glance. "I don't know what you see in her."

"I don't either, sometimes." Ty Lee confessed, feeling her heart sinking, her fingers idly playing with her new bracelet. "Sometimes, I wish I had stayed in the circus."

Mai nodded, and stopped short of entering her house. After letting out a long-suffering sigh she turned around. "You wanna have some tea?"

"I..." She was ready to refuse until she caught Mai's gaze, concerned and also, was it longing? Ty Lee couldn't tell, but she did feel in need of some tea. "I would love to."


	6. Chapter 6

**FANNING THE FLAMES  
**

* * *

"Remember your cue men, walk straight into the airship, don't look at anyone. Act like you belong. We're just essential personal for flight tests, got it?"

She looked over her small band of rebels, smiled at their determined faces, and then back over her shoulder towards the secret shipyards brimming with soldiers, engineers and workers.

It was no wonder that Ozai had managed to keep the work secret for months before the invasion. Zuko had once told her he had found out about the airships that same morning, and giving the scene she was watching right now, Suki could believe it. It was a wide plain this one, wide enough to house all six giant behemoths together, three of them still being finished in the ports, targets to giant metal cranes that fixed the framework of girders and rings. Most impressive though, were the airships already built, three of them, as huge as a palace, looming like shadows under the sun, and evoking gasps of awe from the crew. Inwardly, Suki had smiled at their reaction. Never having seen the likes of it before, they had been ecstatic when sighting one flying over the mountains in a test run earlier. These earlier in the models, Suki knew they lacked reverse engines and proper ventilation, but none of that would matter if they could obliterate the enemy from the skies. Days later some of them were eager to board, which was fine for her little theft, which involved walking straight towards one of the huge ones, with all the confidence of a saber toothed moose-lion.

"Why can't we just take a grounded one?" Jee asked as she hurried them to get dressed, one of the airships was landing on the field and they didn't have time to waste.

"The airships need to heat the air inside to float, and the grounded ones are probably dead cold right now. Since it takes hours to get them ready to fly that will make our escape easy enough as well."

She looked on as her brave little rebels nodded one after the other, the cook seeming especially funny looking in his engineer's outfit. Thanks to Zuko they had a whole lot of uniforms to choose, from imperial firebender's armors to officer's robes, they were all as disguised as she could make them.

"Ready?" She asked and then. "Come on"

She guided them through a blind spot on the wall. One after the other, they passed after knocking out a lonely guard that had been trying to use the bushes to relieve himself. Once inside she carefully inspected her own loose robes and let Jee take the lead in his general's regalia.

The walk towards the airship was a nervous business. Cook kept tripping over his boots, while Beardy and Baby face, whose names she learned were Lee and Jing, looked straight ahead as if afraid of their own shadows. Their elite firebender armor bouncing with each step for being a little over-sized, but overall the base seemed busy enough for there to be little attention thrown their way.

"This place is amazing, I wonder what sort of system they use to heat the air." Hong, the crew's engineer, spoke up, his short steps hurrying to keep pace.

"The same as our old ship? I dunno what's the difference." Kong, the helmsman answered with a shrug.

"It can't be the same, our ship used pipes to get steam into the engine, this thing here, if a pipe touches that sailcloth it could burn the whole thing!"

"I'm sure they know what they are doing, what I wonder is if there is a kitchen in there."

"Of course you would, Cook!" Hong snickered, and Jing finally shushed the men as they passed by a tall looking fellow with a whip at his waist. They waved nervously, and the man grunted while Suki found her hands hovering inside the long sleeves from her robes. Slowly, they managed to march all the way to the shipyard until they were finally stopped by a high ranking officer, guarding the entrance to a simple fence of wood and metal guarding the anchor field.

"What is this?" The man questioned, his mustache twitching as Jee offered the scroll with Zuko's personal seal and Suki's careful handwriting.

"Crew for flight test" Jee declared.

The man frowned, looking back at the stationed ships, where Suki could see the one that had just landed was being anchored with ropes and metal stakes. "I wasn't informed of a flight test at this time, we just had one."

"Last minute adjustment sir" Jee motioned to the rest of them. "There has been a request from the royal family to test one of the machines personally, the Fire Lord wishes for this one to be flown to an unknown location for his personal inspection."

"I see, but why didn't the director inform me?"

"I dunno sir" Jee sweatdropped. "Maybe he forgot."

"Maybe" He glanced over the crew, seven firebenders, fifteen soldiers, two cooks, three engineers, a helmsman, Jee and Suki, who found herself the target of the man's gaze for a long moment. "A small crew this one, and this is?"

"Lieutenant Ping is my assistant."

Suki plastered a smile on her face and bowed perfectly towards the captain, who nodded. Behind them a loud ringing noise suddenly made them stop and Suki cringed at watching Lee helping Hong tuck a dagger back inside his around Suki bit her lip quietly, watching the man frown in deep thought. She fidgeted, watching his fingers moving from the scroll to his side, a simple enough movement of rubbing his fingers together that resulted in the two Firebenders leaving their posts at the gates.

_Fuck, _ she cursed. _ Okay then._

Surprising both the officer and Jee, Suki leaped ahead, knocking her fist against the man's jaw and jumping over his already unconscious body. The two firebenders stopped short in surprise, and she gave them no time to react. Feeling the strength of ages of practice flowing through her, her hand disappeared inside a sleeve and came back with her closed fan. Relaxing her wrist, she jerked her whole arm forward, swiftly launching the weapon straight into the first firebender's head. The whole thing happened in the blink of an eye and, just as quickly, the second firebender joined the first, leaving nothing but a heavy silence as confusion reigned over the field.

"Come on!" She shouted over her shoulder. The crew took a second to take her orders, before Jee repeated them and had the men racing towards the airship where a big chunk of the current crew was outside, clearly shocked that their routine was so abruptly interrupted. "Take anyone left inside prisoner! Hong, take half our man and keep the boilers working!Jing, you get your men to the platforms, we'll need cover when we take off! Lee, you keep the doors closed, Jee! You and Bou get to the control rooms!"

She struck her knee under the chin of a soldier that tried to stop her, picked up a sword from the ground and threw at the nearest rope. Her men followed suit, burning the anchors in their passage, her fans coming alive as she guarded their rear, knocking down fireballs and arrows as they came even as her men fought their way inside the airship.

Falling in a stance, Suki waited for the punch from a huge engineer before throwing him over her shoulder using his own momentum. A whip screamed and one of her fans fell on the ground, her hand twitching in pain, but her other fan was already flying to take down the enemy. As the whip fell from her hand, she flipped over the field to take her weapons, her feet hitting a startled firebender in the face and she knew from the sickening crack that his nose was broken.

"Lady Suki!" She turned, everyone was inside already and Lee held the door open, then the man's eyes widened and she threw herself back just as her previous spot was hit by a jet of fire.

Waiting for not one second she run towards the entrance, tackling the soldiers who tried to get in her way and jumping over the closing doors, falling hard on her elbow.

"Fuck!" Suki cursed as she heard the door being pummeled from the outside, a window to her left being blown to bits by a stray slash of flames. Throwing herself for cover, she was wondering what took them so long, when suddenly the floor trembled and she felt the queasy sensation of the ship finally taking off.

"Ma'am"

"Thank you." Suki said, taking the offered hand. "I don't know if they will attack their own airship, but just in case you should go outside and help Jing"

The firebender stopped and nodded.

"You remember the way to the platforms that I described to you?"

"I think so."

"Then go, and good luck."

To her surprise, Lee actually saluted her before taking off towards the hallway.

Rubbing her bruised elbow, Suki took a moment to gather herself before running to her own destination. Although not lacking battle - she stopped short twice to help take care of lingering resistance - the path to the control room was exactly as she remembered, opening to a long control panel, with a wheel and a large viewport opening to the base and giving way to the skies. Hong was already turning them away from the fight as a wide blare echoed through the base, but the helmsman clearly knew little else about driving. Stepping between him and Jee, Suki pulled a lever to the right, feeling the assuring lurch as the propellers were activated at top speed.

Slowly they were gaining height.

"Wow, I would never figure that out." Jee rubbed his neck and Suki smirked.

"Well, I'll give a quick lesson as soon as I can." She stopped, hesitating. "Can you check on the crew? Make sure everything is in order?"

"Aye aye captain."

"And you, can you fly?" She asked Hong meanwhile, the old man had a weird grin to his face.

"It seems easy enough, I already figure out this here tells the height, and this one is the propellers, all the rest it's almost the same as a ship I think."

"Almost, just make sure we're high enough to lose any pursuit."

Her men must have begun to work on the boilers now, because soon enough, she could feel the ship rising faster. Ignoring the painful memories of teaching giggling little girls about flying, Suki quietly instructed Hong on the most delicate basics while taking the position of co-pilot. Her eyes waiting for the proper height when she would need to cut their ascension, the warrior felt a small pang of triumph at this first part went all right.

Now they just needed to approach the Caldera as if nothing was amiss.

_Just fly casual Suki,_ she told herself. _Fly casual._

* * *

Aiko tried her best to suppress a shiver as she huddled closer to her sisters in the damp cell. It wasn't because of the cold of course, but the nightmares that often plagued her mind came filled with fire and sometimes, even awake as she was, she would imagine the touch of it on her skin and tremble. She never allowed it to get to her though, no, she would keep herself together and thank her sisters when none made a comment about it. They were all here after all, made to share one chamber pot and their meek meals.

Apparently the Fire Nation had no qualms about mistreating prisoners.

On the first week here, she still remembered how Ami had fallen sick and they ended up sharing most of their rations with her, taking turns to watch over her fitful sleep until her fever broke. Even after recovering she seemed too thin for Aiko's taste, but as long as she was alive there was hope. As long as they were all alive. That was what their captain had told them before been taken away to spirits knew where and Aiko made herself think of those words every day, always searching, even if some didn't.

"It's a waste of time." Fay murmured when dinner arrived, but Aiko made no comment. She asked the guards about the war, about their captain and watched for a flinch, a hesitation, a moment of weakness to reach through the bars, but it never came. "Told ya."

"At least some of us are trying something" She whispered harshly as she took the rice with her fingers. She was a prisoner, and prisoners were not given hashi with their food.

"Trying? You keep looking for a way out like its going to pop right in front of you."

"I'm waiting for an opportunity."

"Please lets not fight." Tori asked from the side, delicately eating from her bowl and wiping her hands on her pants. At her suggestion, Aiko felt her fire burning out, but Fay kept frowning her way.

"I'm not saying that to be mean" she explained. "I'm saying that so you don't get caught and punished for some foolish reason."

"I know" Aiko complained. "But do you really want to be stuck here until the end of the war?"

"If this war ever ends, I suppose that's our destiny, yes."

"What shitty destiny that is" Tam said, snorting from her corner. "Really, can you imagine whoever decides on that talking about it?" Her long face stretched as she made up high and low pitched voices. "Hey, look at those warriors over there, what would be a good destiny for them? Oh, I don't know, make them loose to half their numbers maybe? And then what? Oh put them in prison or something."

They all shared a laugh at that and even Ami managed a weak smile at their friend's little performance, her cheekbones visible under her pale skin. "We did save the Avatar's bison though, that has to count for something."

"Of course it does." Fay said.

The meal was silent after that and Aiko could only stare at her food with the same strange detachment she had learned to identify lately. She would eat the tasteless overcooked rice to keep her strength and nothing else. She would do her katas and sink to her knees, every motion missing the weight of her armor and her fans. When the sun reached the cell, she would gather under it to feel it close, and at night, she would be on her tip toes to watch the stars, if there were any. She was a warrior defeated after all, a beast without its fangs, declawed, not the proud second to Suki, but the little girl who never manage to aim right when throwing her fan.

Aiko sighed, swallowing the last bit of food. Her hunger satisfied for the moment, she dropped the bowl close to the bars and stopping short at the sudden, familiar noise that could only come from a body hitting the floor.

* * *

The cell was small, appropriate to a prisoner of his rank and a little cold, but thankfully in the Fire Nation that last one was hardly an issue.

It actually helped him keep fresh, his exercises coming harder and faster as he felt the time passing, for although he was in a cage, General Iroh had learned long ago to be free. Torture, cells, they could all be made away if one had a truly light soul, unburdened by arrogance, pride and regrets, although something about that night made him think a lot about the last one. Something familiar and yet out of his reach. Maybe a tingle of incoming nightmares for he was never completely rid of those.

For of course he couldn't say he had no regrets whatsoever.

No, with the life of the great General Iroh on his back, filled with blood and too many judgments, regrets were things that he would carry with him forever, born from a very old dream of conquest and glory under Ba Sing Se's walls. What surprised him most though, was that he actually had new ones, for although he always felt disinclined to rule, letting his younger brother take the throne nagged a small part of his soul. Piling up with each and every day that he had wondered the palace and learned of arrested citizens, famish villages and atrocities of the war.

Then there was Ursa, gentle soul that she was, to this day he wondered as to her actions and her children. Azula was one that he could so rarely reach, but Zuko. The vision of his poor nephew so conflicted and in pain turning his back to him was still hurtful. He loved the boy, how could he not? In fact he had expected Zuko to come to him at some point, perhaps more confused than ever, or maybe his absence was a sign that his decision had been made. Was it too late for him? If worse came to worse, Iroh knew one thing for sure, and that was that Zuko had to come to his own decisions.

One was always weak in the face of forced choices. Tthose were the ones that plagued the mind and made every conquest as feeble as sand under the sea. Forced choices, he learned, weakened the spirit. If one true self was to rise, one must learn to go through the shadow and reach the other side.

Sitting in his cell in meditation, Iroh took a deep breath and wondered what shadows were yet to come.

It was the sound of a rusty metal bar been moved away that told him the door was unlocking and he quickly sat on the ground, the sight of Ming coming inside the room immediately warming his heart, for although he took care never to hold a grudge against misguided people, Warden Poon's cruelty had been getting on his nerves lately. On the whole, that man was tiresome.

"Hello there." The woman said with a small smile.

"Hello Ming, I hope you're doing well this fine night."

"Well, nothing to complain about." She said gently, placing the meal through his cell, carefully not spilling anything. "I know you like komodo chicken, so I snatched some for you from the guard's meal."

"Oh, thank you" Iroh said, he never asked her how she knew so much about his tastes, but he always appreciated. He took a piece of the meat and smiled. "Oh, this is delicious, Ming. Thank you very much, someone like me has a need to keep up shape if you know what I mean."

He playfully tapped on his now shrinking belly, glad for the chuckle that escaped her lips.

"Well, I'm… I'm glad I could help."

"I very much appreciate it."

Ming nodded, seeming hesitating a bit. "You could ask actually if you wanted anything else you know? I-I'm sure I could find you some better tea and..."

Her voice trailed off awkwardly and Iroh had to wonder about her openness to him. It came with trepidation, but Ming, he learned, was simply an open soul and, after a quick debate in which he concluded she wouldn't face harsher punishment or difficult in her offer, quietly accepted. "With a proper tea, I think this would make for a perfect meal."

"Is there a proper tea for a meal?" She asked raising her eyebrow.

"Well of course, tea is such a wonderful and versatile beverage, you must only know which one is appropriate for..."

A yell suddenly caught their attention, interrupting their conversation. Gently, Iroh lowered his food and glanced at the window. The moon was rising yes, but hidden behind thick clouds. The wind was howling, but underneath it there was that same something else he felt earlier.

So it wasn't a nightmare that was coming after all.

"What is going on?" Ming called, knocking on the door.

"I'm not sure, stay with the prisoner and I'll check!" The guard answered.

"But I can..."

"Stay with the prisoner!" The guard barked harshly, disappearing completely.

"Dammit!" The young guard cursed stepping back from the door, she looked over and Iroh rose to his feet. "Sorry, I'm sure it's nothing serious."

"I wouldn't be so sure Ming" Iroh said, because now he was completely aware of an aura of violence that was usually followed by battle.

"What do you mean?" She was asking, and then someone grunted, and he could hear firebending happening on the other side of that door. Screams followed, shouts and gasps and then muffled voices approached in a hurry. Realization dawned on Ming and she quickly assumed a stance, her body perfectly balanced, hands glowing with scarlet fire as she faced the door. "Who is there!?"

She challenged and Iroh winced. A cold strategist would have waited to ambush the invaders, but watching Ming's demeanor for a while long, he suddenly realized she wasn't in a panic, but collected and ready. She was buying time, he realized.

The voices outside hushed, the lock was opened but not the door.

"Who is in there?"

Now Iroh frowned, that voice was feminine and very young, unrecognizable. Not White Lotus, he had been clear in that he would leave in his own way and at his own risk, but then who else would dare invade a prison in the heart of the Fire Nation?

"I asked you first!"

A pause.

"Well, I guess you did, my name is Suki, what is yours?" The voice was almost too sympathetic, it certainly caught Ming off guard.

"Ming!"

"Ming?" The voice sounded surprised, a hushed conversation followed and then. "Look, Ming, I'm gonna open this door very slowly, all right? There is no need for fire here. Hopefully, we can talk. I really don't want to hurt you."

"I highly doubt that."

"I'm serious, we didn't even kill anyone, your friends are all fine." The door opened hesitantly and Ming held her fire back. When it became clear that no attack was coming, it finally moved further revealing a small shadow that slowly became a young red haired woman. She was dressed in black stealth clothes, tabis on her feet and a mask that she pulled down to show her blue eyes and a strangely sincere smile. "Well, look at that, you're so young I can barely recognize you."

"What? What in Sozin's name are you talking about?"

"Nothing, sorry, I was just talking to myself." She looked at him suddenly and Iroh saw that smile widening as she bowed, cupping her left hand in typical Fire Nation salute. "Iroh, it is a pleasure to see you."

"You too young lady, but I do have to ask why that is since, as far as my memory goes, I do not remember having the pleasure of meeting you."

"I'm a friend of your nephew actually." Ming seemed completely uncertain all of the sudden, and that seemed to be exactly what the girl wanted, taking her time to run her eyes over the scene and nod. "He really wants you out of here."

"The prince?" Ming asked, startled, and even Iroh felt his eyes widening.

"Zuko?"

"Yes, that one, you know? Brooding, long hair that he takes more care of than he would ever admit, big scar, all stiff and humorless." That was a glimmer of mischief to her eyes as she said the last one. "He asked me to get you out, but that is your choice of course."

She heard a noise from outside, and the swishing waves of fire lit the hallway.

"Everything all right Lee?"

"All fine, my lady!" Swish. "If you could hurry though."

"I'll be right over." Suki turned back and grinned. "So, can we get out of here?"

"Wait, the prince asked you to come here? B-but that is treason!" Ming stammered.

"Yes it is, would you like to stop it?" Suki questioned, seeming legitimately curious. In that moment Iroh saw Ming looking at him, the war between duty and something else clear in her eyes, but that was all it took for Suki to knock her out with a solid blow to the back of head. She didn't allow for Ming to fall though, instead gently lowering her to a corner of the cell. "Don't worry, she will be fine, I would hate to push a decision like that on her."

Iroh blinked, only then noticing how tense he became at the idea of hurting the young guard. Suki was already opening the cell when he recovered. "So are you coming? Zuko really wants to see you."

"You seem like a very good young lady." Iroh remarked, to which she only smiled. "But I'm not sure that is wise."

"Zuko knew you would hesitate, but he told me to tell you he'll even play the tsungi horn if you come along right now."

Iroh couldn't help himself, he might not know anything about this Suki, but that was clearly a message only his nephew would know to send and so he felt his lips curving into a warm grin and chuckled. Hope was a very sweet thing indeed, and although he always found strength to give it to himself, having it offered by others was even more of a blessing. Hurrying to the hidden cove in his cell, he recovered the small bundled artifact and got back to his feet.

"Well, in that case, how can I miss it?"


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAINS OF THE HEART  
**

* * *

The sea breeze brushed against then with the sound of the waves, its music breaking under the occasional roar from the sea lion pulling the ferry. Otherwise though, there was silence, one that made Zuko uncomfortable.

None of the others seemed to notice though.

Ty Lee was looking over the sea, a smile never far from her face. "Doesn't your family have a house on Ember Island?"

"We used to come every summer when we were kids." Azula explained nonchalantly.

"That must've been fun!"

That was a long time ago. Zuko thought somberly. He wasn't thinking about his mother and father though, rather he was thinking about Suki and those days when Izumi was still young and helped take care of her siblings, days of laughter and playful jokes midst shimmering waves and gray sand.

It was strange to recall such moments, moments he never really believed would be part of his life at some point.

As much as the war had scarred the world, it had scarred him as well, leaving a broken monarch that could barely keep his country out of war those first years. Someone who didn't trust himself and had almost forced his friend to kill him for that. He remembered those days when his bodyguard first came along. The slow transformation of their silent evenings into times of conversation and easy smiles as he finally began to trust his own judgment in regard to his nation and his feelings.

Taking a deep breath, he rubbed his eyes quietly, trying to seem as angry as he should, but when he looked up, he found Mai's gaze fixed on him from across the balcony. Her face revealed close to nothing of what she was thinking, and yet Zuko could feel an old coil of fear tangling around his heart, and it stayed with him the whole time as they sighted the small docks and the extravagant stilted Fire Nation beach bungalows of the island.

Li and Lo were both there to greet them, taking the four teens towards a shabby beach cottage. It was small, decorated with different pieces of the sea, its walls and floor polluted by green and gold.

"Ooh, I love this seashell bedspread!" Ty Lee exclaimed to his side, to which Mai grimaced.

"Are you serious? It looks like the beach threw up all over it."

He chuckled a little at her deadpan delivery, earning a look from them and his sister. He chuckled, and it was unlikely. It was something he had learned with time, from Aang, Sokka, Katara and Toph, a lesson in showing how he felt instead of hiding behind a grimace. Quickly realizing it might be a mistake, he looked away. "I'll check my room."

The place felt not at all as familiar as he thought it might. It was strange, staring down at the starfish bedspread, the idea that he should remember all of it stuck at the back of his mind, even as he sat down and felt nothing at all. He knew of course, that once he had spent a whole week here, he knew also, that they had all reached a sort of bond while being stuck together, although he was wary of what that even meant back then. Did they bond out of true friendship or need for connection? Mai and Ty Lee had become close to him after everything was said and done, and Azula…

Azula had been gone, maybe she was never within his reach to begin with.

He was so deep in thought he didn't notice the other presence in the room, until the knife was firmly planted at the wall across from him.

"So, when are you leaving?" Mai asked, straight to the point, she always hated beating around the bushes, but Zuko pursed his lips, sending a glance to the door. "They aren't listening."

Nodding, he accepted that as the only assurance he would get. For a moment he did consider that she might be lying, that she was still loyal to Azula and was just setting up a trap, after all this wasn't the Mai that would drink tea with him in the afternoons after council meetings, the same Mai who had looked him in the eyes and suggested he married Suki at once. He did want her to be though.

"I'll get a message when its time."

She tried to seem nonchalant, but Zuko could see the way her eyes widened in surprise, just a fraction though. "You really do believe all that crap about peace of love don't you?"

"You don't?"

This time she looked away. "Let's say that I do believe that, why should I trust that you're not after the throne or something?"

"I'm not Azula, Mai."

"No, but you're not the Zuko I knew either" The words hurt more than he expected them to. For a long moment, neither said a word and, eventually, Mai left him as only the wind chimes played a toneless tune as waves crashed over the island.

.

* * *

It was said by some wise weirdos from time to time, that one should always learn from the experience of others, and Azula had taken that lesson and made her life out of it.

It came to her in her earlier memories, the ones where Zuko would appear small and frightened as he failed yet another task, yet another tiny little lesson their father had demanded. She watched and she learned and she became perfect. Failure had been unacceptable. After all, what else could she hope to be? It was only natural she would become strong since no one was there to coddle her. Her little brother had their dear mother and look at where that took him, banished and scarred, and alone. It had always been in her mind to never be like that, to never succumb to his weakness, a weakness so despised.

So, as she watched Ty Lee walking around that wretched party, followed by boys everywhere, she had to hold herself from burning the place down. _Am I really bad at this?_ It looked so easy after all, all her friend would do was prance around, smile, and boom, those pathetic creatures would be all over her, praying for a chance to kiss her cute little feet. It was obvious of course, why that was, but despite knowing the reasons, she failed to emulate them not that she wanted that anyway.

She knew why they were after Ty Lee, it was so obvious.

Her partner, when she became Fire Lord, would be strong and powerful, someone she could control and be proud of at the same time, someone who wouldn't run from her. _What if they all run?_ A voice whispered, mockingly and she pushed that away. Her father, who was called monster by every other nation, never settled for the lesser, and she wouldn't either.

"Oh, I'm glad you're here." Ty Lee suddenly called after cartwheeling her way over, behind her, Azula could see all the chi blocked guys on the floor. Good riddance. "Those boys won't leave me alone. I guess they all just like me too much."

Azula refrained from rolling her eyes. "Come on, Ty Lee. You can't be this ignorant."

"What are you talking about?"

Azula smiled, it was a lesson really. It wouldn't do for her friend to ignore the glaring reality and keep herself in her own little perfect world. She needed this dose of truth, just like she had gained from her mother so long ago.

"Those boys only like you because you make it so easy for them. You're not a challenge. You're a tease. It's not like they actually care who you are." She delivered, watching Ty Lee's face slowly changing, and suddenly a very uneasy feeling begun at the bottom of her gut. It almost whispered of regret. "Okay, okay, calm down. I didn't mean what I said." She backpedaled, her mind finally working out something to say, and in that hurry, she only found something close to the truth. "Look, maybe I just said it because I was a little ... Jealous."

_Was that it?_ She asked herself, but the word fitted so well, it was all she could do not to rip it out from the air, as if she could deny she ever spoke such thing. Ty Lee seemed just as surprised as she felt.

"What? You're jealous of me? But you're the most beautiful, smartest, perfect girl in the world!"

"You're right about all those things of course." She quickly replied, despite the comfort she felt at the words. "But, for some reason, when I meet boys, they act as if I'm going to do something horrible to them."

_Bonds forged on fear._ Zuko's voice seemed to mock her from afar.

"But you probably would do something horrible to them" Ty Lee was saying by her side. "I'm sure they're just intimidated by you. Okay, look, if you want a boy to like you, just look at him and smile a lot and laugh at everything he says even if it's not funny."

She frowned. "Well, that sounds really shallow and stupid ..." A smile. "Let's try it."

"Okay." And then Ty Lee was leaning against the column, her eyes half closed, a smirk on her face and, although it could be the light, Azula thought she saw a touch of a blush on her cheeks as she spoke in a deep voice. "Hey there, sweet sugar cakes. How you liking this party?"

The smile, the arm seeming pining her against the column, and those grey eyes staring at her through the lashes, send a spiraling fluttering of wing to beat deep into her guts. She was so entranced she almost forgot the reason for her friend doing that. _Laugh_. She commanded herself, and soon enough she was trying just that.

Of course it didn't work.

For an officer's son, the house's owner was just like all the others, scared, coward, worthless and the kiss, it had tasted like nothing at all. She didn't care though, she really didn't, it was only more proof that she needed to get what she wanted by force instead, she knew nothing kept people close. Her own mother had gone away, why shouldn't everyone else? Cold brushing over her shoulders, she felt an uneasy need to leave, but just like every other time she felt the weakness inside her, she crushed it away with sheer will, despite the prickling behind her eyes.

She was thinking of going back to Ty Lee and maybe distract herself when she caught sight of Zuzu walking away from the house, down the beach, to a direction that could be familiar, because of course he would go there. If there was something her brother could be counted to do was to impose himself in suffering. He would sit down and torment himself with the past, as if it could do anything to him. She knew better of course. The past was dead. Mother was gone. Father was here and Zuzu was still weak.

Biting her lower lip, she looked behind her and, making up her mind, jumped from the balcony and followed his trail.

It didn't take long for her to find the familiar sight of the beach house. The red roofs and high columns were filled by shadows of old times as she climbed the stairs and passed through the broken door. Her brother was sitting right by the entrance, his back to her as he looked over a family painting in the hallways and for some reason, she didn't find in herself to interrupt the moment.

She sat by his side and watched.

It was, by all means, a mediocre portray, and yet, somehow, her father actually looked happy in there. Only her experience told her that softness was impossible to find on the Fire Lord's face, and speaking of faces, Zuko's was healthy and peaceful in there. Agni, her own young self looked happy. After a brief hesitation, she finally gathered the courage to stare at her mother. The woman was just as beautiful as her memories, but as everyone else seemed happy, Ursa showed no emotion at all in those eyes, the same eyes she saw whenever she caught sight of a mirror.

It was almost like she was disappointed in her as she had always been.

"What are you doing in here?" She barked the question.

Zuko didn't answer right away. From this side his scar was all she could see in the moonlight, but when he did speak, his voice sounded quite broken. "I'm trying to remember."

In answer to that, she could only grimace. She had been very young when the vacations stopped, but she could remember clearly the feeling of the volcanic ash between her toes, and a woman's voice whispering sweet words in her ears. She remembered a young man's grin under the sun and the touch of a brother's arms around her.

"This is depressing." She concluded, getting to her feet. "Come on, let's get out of here, Dumb Dumb."

* * *

"What are you doing, mom?"

"Oh, I'm just practicing." She told the little girl as she came running inside the room, her eyes taking in the glint of the metal as she opened her fans. "See here? These are all battle marks."

"Wow."

"Can I see it too?" A second one came along, almost shoving her sibling out of the way. "How do you use it?"

Suki laughed at both little girls, delighted at the attention, before taking each one by their hands. From the crib, the baby made a happy sound as she took out the old uniform. "Well, before you use it, you need to learn what this means, see this silk thread? It represents the brave blood that you have, and the seal is the honor of a warrior's heart. If you understand that, only then you can fight."

"Wow" The girls gasped, awed.

"Can you show us now?"

"Please?"

"Maybe your mother can show you later."

His voice was soft and caring. It was a caress against the back of her neck and a touch of whispering silk under the disgusted sounds of her daughters.

Slowly though, the sounds grew fainter, drifting away and lingering long enough for Suki to understand that she was dreaming. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried with all her might to return to it, plucking the images back from that ethereal plane, but alas, reality was far more insistent as she found herself in her quarters in the airship.

The pounding that woke her up was coming from the door, and she quickly opened to find Lee on the other side.

"My lady, we're about to reach Ember Island."

"Thanks, I'll be right up."

As the door closed and she was alone once more, Suki took her time to wash her face and fix her hair. After dressing up, she quickly sniffed herself, wondering how much longer she would go without a proper bath. As advanced as the airship was, they hadn't exactly taken a stocked vessel, making so that water and food were pretty much thin right now.

Fixing her boots around her feet, she made her way to the main room, nodding through her crew on the way there. Jee and Iroh seemed to be having an amicable conversation that stopped when she arrived, while Aiko and Fay both smiled her way. Her sisters had no war fans or traditional Kyoshi Warrior's gear, but both of them made do with loose leather armor and swords hanging from their hips. The rest of her girls were probably with Ami as she rested, since the time in prison had taken its toll on the young warrior. Even now, they didn't completely trust the fire nation crew, and she couldn't really blame them.

"Hello everyone."

"Suki!" Aiko burst forward and gave her a hug, and she gladly hugged her back. There had been many hugs since she reunited with her sisters, and even now, she doubted she would ever have enough of them. _I really missed you._ She thought.

"We were just deciding on a landing sight." Fay said from her other side, as Jee came over to show them the map.

"Ember Island can be very crowded during summer time, so we have to be careful with where we land, otherwise, we risk alerting Fire Nation forces out there."

"That won't be an issue, we can land right here." She pointed to a small valley in the center of the island. "We can bring the ship above the clouds and land without notice."

"That can be a dangerous maneuver."

"Don't worry."_ I've done it before._ "Everything will be all right, and we will be on our way in no time. Just make sure you have a party ready to buy supplies once we're grounded."

She looked up, but there was no real worry this time. Jee had already learned to trust her, that showed when he saluted her and walked out to give out the orders.

"How are you doing General Iroh?"

"I've been well my dear, thank you." The old man smiled at her, crinkles around his eyes as he took her in. "If you allow me to ask, you and your sister are not from the Fire Nation, are you?"

"No, we're from Kyoshi actually."

"Ah, yes, the famous Kyoshi Warriors. I was indeed wondering about the fans, since very few are skilled with such a weapon." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I've been to Kyoshi Island once before, back in the day the place was neutral territory, too small to be of any notice. I spent three days in harbor eating smoked elephant-koi."

"Oh, I love smoked elephant-koi!" Aiko cheered, Fay rolled her eyes.

"You're wondering how I came to know your nephew." Suki pointed out, holding back a grin.

"Well, yes, I guess I wasn't very subtle now, was I?" The old man grinned, but almost right away, his expression fell, a sort of solemn sadness appearing all of the sudden. "The thing is, I truly want to believe that he chose his own path."

Suki held back a grin, watching the man that would become a grandfather to her children, and hoping to make him cry the same sweet tears he shed when Zuko put Izumi on his arms. Gently, she put a hand on his shoulder. "He did choose, Iroh, I know this all seems, well, very sudden, but your nephew is a great man, in no small part thanks to you."

Iroh raised an eyebrow at her, almost in disbelief, and Suki giggled.

"I guess that doesn't answer your question though, does it?"

"Not much, but I'm sure it doesn't really matter as much as what I've seen and heard so far." He looked her with such mirth that Suki couldn't help but wonder what kind of questions Zuko would face soon. "Well, I guess I shall retire for now, being able to walk around is, actually, very underrated."

"I can second that." Aiko spoke as the old general left.

The door had barely closed when Suki felt Fay's questioning gaze falling upon her. Her sister had been the most clearly displeased to learn they were been rescued by Fire Nation soldiers, her suspicious eyes all darting this and that way, always vigilant. Suki was sure she was the one who told the others to stick together, and she couldn't blame her. After spending time in prison, after traveling through a war torn kingdom and finding refugees with different degrees of burns all over the Earth Kingdom, anyone would hesitate to trust anyone wearing red.

"Go ahead, I know you have doubts."

Fay huffed, crossing her arms and frowning. "Doubts doesn't begin to cover it."

"I'm sure helping you out of prison was a good first step though, right?"

Suki watched the flustered look on her sister's face and held back from pointing that out, Aiko wasn't so polite.

"She got you there Fay!"

"Shut up!" The other mumbled. "Don't tell me you're okay with being on a ship full of Firebenders."

"Well, not really, but they've been very polite so far, and they're taking care of Ami as well." She came closer, whispering. "Plus, that Lee guy was kind of cute."

Fay groaned. "Well, lucky me, guys are not my type. Listen Suki, I just want to be sure this isn't some kind of trap all right? What if this is all a plan so we take them to the avatar or something. If he is alive as you say, then they might be looking for him. That Fire Prince sure did a number on our village with that same intent."

"I know."

"And now, you talk like he is your friend."

"He is"

"How!?" Fay asked exasperated.

"Well, that is kind of hard to explain, so I would like to cash in on all that trust I know you have on me." Suki delivered that with her best-winning smile.

Aiko was the first to nod, but Fay sighed longingly. "I trust you, Suki, you know that."

"And I know I'm asking a lot."

"Yes you are" Fay took a moment to straighten her shoulders, her pale skin morphing into resignation. "If we actually get out of this alive, you better make sure to take us out, I'm talking banquets here, plural."

"Of course"

With the little time she had before reaching the Island, Suki wrote a message, taking the messenger hawk out in the open and allowing the bird to fly ahead. If there was something that always surprised Suki about the Fire Nation, were those birds. Her husband had once explained to her that the special training that allowed the hawks to find people all over the world, was developed by a Fire Nation's Avatar long ago, and the secret from that point belonged to the Fire Sages. So she was confident that the Hawk would find Zuko, and he would be able to read through her coded message. She visited Ami in her room until the time came, and as Ember Island loomed close, she took the wheel for herself, directing the men around her to increase the altitude, so when they were all above the clouds, she had only her instruments as guides.

It took a long time, and she had to be patient, controlling the speed and the timing. Ember Island was a summer paradise, but as she closed in, just as the sun began to set, she descended in the shadow of the volcano, invisible to the naked eyes as she found the empty valley below.

As the night fell around them and the messenger hawk returned with an answer, Suki, stood by the rampart and waited.

Jing and a group of men had gone out and brought back supplies and still, she waited.

The cold breeze blew over her skin, and by each cloud the drifted away from the moon, she would offer Yue a silent prayer of her own, as Fay and Aiko joined her.

The stars were blinking brightly and the sky was clearing by the time she finally caught movement bursting from the tree line. Two figures raced into the clearing, and Suki's heart beat faster as she recognized them. Mai was a mess, her hair disheveled and out of her buns, while Ty Lee leaned over her friend, an arm tucked inside an improvised bandage.

And as she raced to help, she knew that something had gone very wrong.


	8. Chapter 8

**BLUE STORM  
**

* * *

Ty Lee watched fearfully as Azula looked over the beach, her eyes acquiring that same intensity of a huntress that she usually admired, but today, it made her shiver all over. She had guessed many ways of how their vacation could end, but never in a thousand years she would've seen this coming.

Everything had felt great for a while of course.

The four of them had a long conversation on the sands, where she found herself spilling words of self loathing, and confessing to feelings she had long known but never acknowledged.

"You're Ty Lee to me." He had spoken and smiled, and even Mai had echoed the thought while her other friend just looked away and she couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking about, if she thought back to those secret wishes and even more secret nights.

They had all done it of course, Mai had admitted she was always meant to behave properly. Zuko spoke quietly about being afraid although Ty Lee couldn't guess what he was afraid of. Maybe his father, the Fire Lord was almost as scary as Azula could be and speaking of Azula, the Fire Princess spilled out words about her mother that broke her heart until her smirk appeared again and she acted like nothing mattered. In the end they had all banded together to crash the party and she thought everything would be okay. She really thought things were all right, that they were truly, undeniably, friends.

But that only lasted until Mai whispered her goodbyes before going to bed, and Azula called her to this small alcove overlooking the house. At first she had blushed and stammered questions, wondering and wishing until she felt it in the air, the heat, an aura seething and churning like a storm about to break, and that made Ty Lee want to look away, her gaze falling on the piece of scroll Azula had crumpled in her hand.

"W-what is that?"

"Nothing of your concern" Azula muttered coldly, her gaze never leaving the quarters. Eventually, the lights went out in the bungalow and two shadows jumped out of the window, landing smoothly despite the height.

As the Fire Princess' face twisted into a strange smile, she finally revealed herself under the light of the moon, stopping the other two dead in their track along the beach. Ty Lee followed hesitantly, her heart beating faster as she recognized Mai and Zuko in dark stealthy clothing. The wind billowing against them as they stood opposite one another, the taste of salt mingling in her lips as she hoped for the ocean to swallow them whole.

"So, gone out for a little night stroll you two? I have to say, black is such a dull color for a date, but then again that might just be your style." Azula didn't smile, but her mouth twitched almost mockingly. "Unless, of course, you're trying to hide, but then again there are few reasons for… Oh wait, you perverts! Honestly, I knew you were bold Zuzu, but not as bold as to dishonor a noble friend of mine before your marriage."

"Azula." Zuko said, the words released from his throat like a bursting prisoner while Mai's hand disappeared inside her sleeves.

Ty Lee shivered. Was that what this was all about? Were Zuko and Mai trying to sneak out? Was Azula mad about it? Summoning as much of courage as she could, she finally stepped forward, forcing a smile upon her lips.

"Look guys, I-I don't know what this is about, but I'm feeling some very tense auras right now, so why don't we go back to the house and..." Her voice startled to a stop when Azula snapped the scroll towards her brother.

"Don't bother yourself Ty Lee, these two over there are not what you think, they are traitors! My spies have just killed a hawk carrying this little message here."

"You put spies on me?" Zuko sounded shocked, and Ty Lee wondered how it would feel if she had someone spying on her.

"Of course I had to spy on you, you were out there acting so challenging, visiting uncle and the whole time I could never even glimpse one bit of guilty on your eyes. Tell me Zuzu, who are you going to meet and where is this meeting point? Not that it matters much you see, this is just a copy, I had men send your Hawk ahead, just to keep the ruse." Now her amber eyes were cold. "You see, despite everything, I'm still merciful enough to offer you a solution, you come with me now and deliver me these traitors you're meeting and maybe, I'll forget to tell father all about this, what do you say?"

"That is not gonna happen Azula." Zuko whispered and yet his voice caught up to them all the same.

For a moment Ty Lee thought Azula hadn't heard, but then her voice barked, rising for the first time. "You fool, both of you. You really want to stand there and be branded traitors forever. Losing your precious honor was not enough and now you want to drag my friend with you?"

"This is my choice Azula" Mai spoke for the first time and when Ty Lee tried to read her friend she found only staunch determination, summoning a familiar prickle behind her eyes.

"Oh, is that right? Must've been some amazing lies he spelled out to turn you against me."

"He didn't lie."

"Please, no..." But Ty Lee's words were drowned by Azula's laughter.

"Oh Mai, you really impress me, who knew that after all this time you had a traitor's spirit."

"It's not treason, Azula." Mai narrowed her eyes, taking a step forward. "I'm simply not afraid of you anymore."

"Just let us go, please." Zuko begged, his voice cracking.

"Please?" Azula repeated mockingly and then her hand burst into blue flames, the scroll turning to ashes in front of her. "After everything I did for you, bringing you back home, this is how you repay me?"

"Azula, we don't have to do whatever father wants, we..."

But the blue flames were already bursting from Azula's hand, making Ty Lee jump back in surprise at the violent punch. When she looked back, Zuko was already jumping away, and Mai's daggers were glinting as they speed under the moonlight.

"This is your choice big brother! Remember that when I give you something to remember me by!" She jumped, wheeling away from Mai's attack, creating a burst of flames that defended her from Zuko's fireball as Ty Lee watched everything, her knees trembling and feet planted in the sand.

"You guys..." She mumbled, trying to find her voice, not sure what she could say that would stop this. She wanted them to sit down and talk, she wanted to remind them of playing kuai ball together, and destroying that idiot's house. She wanted more tea afternoons with Mai, and Azula to smile at her and ask her how to flirt, she wanted… "Stop! Please Stop this!"

Zuko scream's cut her words down as he was launched back, barely able to shield himself from the blast, and suddenly Azula was running around towards Mai, her feet bouncing chunks of sand, as Mai threw dagger after dagger towards the moving target. And then Ty Lee saw it through her tears, the flames firing from her hand, the smile across her lips, as she sent them towards Mai, a blade of fire that cut open her sleeves.

_She wants to kill them._

And before she knew what was happening, Ty Lee was moving.

* * *

It was a very subtle shift, the one she felt.

The moment they connected, the silent conversation under her eyes, and lingering exclusion of her own desires. Curious, she watched them, all her dear friends and brother, circling around the campfire, the flames cackling and spilling embers towards the sky, a fire that would've been much more lovely if it was blue.

Ty Lee was still silent, her eyes shaking, held back by some secret that was so only to herself, a boring one at that, and so obvious, like everything related to someone that wore their soul bare for anyone to see it.

Mai's question had been a simple one, a stoic inquiry of Ty Lee missing her circus.

"I suppose, I do miss it a little, not sure if I can explain it."

Azula sighed, the night filled with a heavy silence, the shadow of her family's house still there, peering at them over the cliffs and mounts, glaring at her with Zuko's stupid silence. Feeling cold, she let out a chuckle, because it was obvious and her failed idea of a party still tasted like ashes in her mouth.

"It's just that, it isn't easy growing up with six sister, you know? It was like I didn't even have my own name." Her friend had brushed aside a lock of her hair, her watering eyes looking away. "I joined the circus because I was scared of spending the rest of my life as part of a matched set, so, I mean, now, at least, I'm me… Right?"

From the side, Mai had smirked although it seemed almost bitter to her trained eyes. "Is that why you always have ten guys drooling after you?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Attention issues, I mean you never cared for any of them, right?" And Azula felt her body's almost squirming at the implication, as she watched the unfolding conversation. "Since you didn't had any attention as a kid, you're making up for it now."

Ty Lee scrunched her face, she was angry now. "Well, what's _your_ excuse, Mai? You were an only child for fifteen years, but even with all that attention, your aura is this dingy, pasty, gray ..."

"I don't believe in auras." Ty Lee narrowed her eyes and Azula couldn't help but smirk. Mai apparently caught her reaction.

"You don't believe anything, Mai."

"Mai..." Zuko's hesitation in calling her name was curious, but it did seem to prompt an answer from her friend.

"I'm sorry I can't be as high-strung and crazy as the rest of you." She eyed the sky, her dark eyes falling into some far off memories of something sad. "You want a teary confession about how hard my childhood was? Well, it wasn't. I was a rich only child who got anything I wanted ... as long as I behaved and sat still, and didn't speak unless spoken to. My mother said I had to keep out of trouble. We had my dad's political career to think about."

"Well, that's it, then." Azula felt like pointing out. "You have a controlling mother who had certain expectations, and if you strayed from them, you were shut down. That's why you're afraid to care about anything, and why you can't express yourself."

It was so obvious, such clear problem she had to wonder if Mai really didn't understand that about herself. For a moment, the frown that etched on her face was very real, she seemed almost ready to confront her, but as expected, she never did. She looked away.

"Well, that is two to go, and since were all in this little melodramatic journey, what are you gonna say dear brother?" She turned her eyes at Zuko, he had been listening only until now, as he confronted her gaze with his mismatched one. She had always wondered if his vision had been impaired by the burn, but never really asked. There was no telling why.

"Well, you seemed very sad, this whole trip." Ty Lee pointed out, and the sight of her brother's mouth smiling was odd to say the least.

"I suppose I am, I mean, what can I say? My father decided he should burn my face to teach me a lesson, and although I mostly can forget about it, it never really goes away. Even now, I'm still afraid of how suddenly things can go wrong, it can be paralyzing." He moved his hands around, producing a small flickering flame. "To speak truly, I don't think anyone ever grows up perfectly, we are all, damaged, I think, it took me a long time to understand there is no shame in that, in seeking friends who listen, in admitting to our fears."

"No shame?" Azula lifted her chin. "You have all just spent your time complaining about your lot in life, your lack of attention and your privilege, and now you, still strung up in the past even though you have everything you ever wanted."

"Pride is often the source of shame, that is what uncle said to me."

"That is true, I think." And Ty Lee looked at her, and then the other two as well, and suddenly she was the target, the last one left .

"What, you're waiting for something? I'm hate to disappoint you all, but I don't have sob stories like all of you. I could sit here and complain how our mom liked Zuko more than me, but I don't really care." She gazed upon the fire, fire was good, fire reminded her of what mattered. "My own mother thought I was a monster... She was right, of course, but it still hurt."

She didn't understand where those smiles came from suddenly, all she could see was a splintered shield giving sight of her weakness, something to never show, something to be ashamed of. She heard Ty Lee's whisper with name printed into it, and felt the sudden clarity of giving out to her rage, just a little, as they all went back to ruin a certain party, forgetting the weakness she had who. A Fire Princess had no weakness, she was perfection, even as it was stuck inside her throat, like a torn becoming fire as the girl screamed, rolling over the gray sand, clutching her burned arm like a lifeline.

For a moment, Azula didn't understand what had happened.

She had Mai where she wanted,

The little traitor was on the ground, vulnerable, and she could feel it deep inside, her chi burning, blowing out, ready to deliver rightful punishment for her crimes, just a burn, nothing more. Just something to remind Mai to never cross her again, to never dare give her that look.

But then, in a blur of pink, it was someone else on the ground.

It was her friend, burned.

_Who burned her?_ Her mind asked, even as she felt her lungs clutching in need of air, the waves and skies disappeared, it was night, she couldn't feel the sun, but she could ask the question. _Who burned her?_

Mai was there before she knew it, getting Ty Lee to her feet. Her eyes were closed. She had gray eyes, she should open them, but then she would cry. She was always crying about something. Always. _Stop crying!_ She wanted to scream._ Crying is for the weak_, but Mai was already glaring at her, a different glare than the one she tried to erase, now there was accusation simmering beneath those usually empty eyes.

_It wasn't my fault._ She wanted to scream…_ It was…._

"GO!"

His scream was what woke her up, a desperate call that sent her friends scurrying away, their feet limping on the sand, as her brother's gaze met her in defiance.

Ember eyes, guilty eyes.

* * *

"This is your fault!"

The words made Zuko brace himself, falling into a stance that was purely defensive as he watched Azula snap out of her shock.

"This is your fault! You hurt her!" His sister screamed like a tygerdillo, she screamed like she had screamed so long ago, but not quite. This was different, Zuko realized, this time she wasn't slipping she was focused on one single goal. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"Azula… It wasn't..."

But the blue fire was already roaring his way like a attacking beast, and he barely reacted in time to build his own chi into a barrier, the impact alone pushing him back. There was no time to think. The first attack had barely hit home when the second came, and then a third, rage made into flames.

"Azula stop!"

But she didn't seem to be listening anymore as he had to jump back, his body falling into the old teachings of the dragons, bringing up his shields one after another and understanding by his laboring breath that he couldn't win this fight.

"Azula!"

No matter how much he knew, no matter his skill, he was still unused to this body, he was still lingering on weakness and unbalanced and Azula, all her rage didn't make her slow down, in fact it seemed to push her forward as she run at him.

"Die!" Cried out his sister, repeating the words in every jab. "Die! Die! Die die diediediediediedie..."

Her fist hit his own, jets of blue and ember dancing together, before more blue fire erupted and pierced the stone and the trees at his back, flames burning alive and soaring towards the sky, and then he was gasping, his knee screaming with sudden pain that traveled through his body and made him fall down shivering.

Cold and hot.

It had been years, decades, but he never forgot the feeling of a burn.

Still, he knew she was coming, and rolled away as the ash and sand burned bright where he had stood a moment ago. Still on the ground, Zuko threw a fist forward aimlessly, hoping to push her back, but Azula barely blinked as she run through the fire, the ends of her hair smoldering in ashes as energy cackled around her fingers. Gritting his teeth, Zuko stepped back, the lightning seemed to lit the beach with sparks, the air itself moving in waves as Azula's wide eyes bore into him. It was a shock, but for that first time in his life Zuko felt it.

His sister hated him.

With one simple look he felt when something rigid and cracked caved inside his chest. The realization that he had possibly made everything worse, sinking everything into a dark pit. It had all gone wrong. Azula spied on him and was now losing her mind much earlier.

"DIE!"

Azula screamed as Zuko stood still, his body frozen. Why couldn't he move? _Why can't I move? _ He shivered, but his legs failed him.

She hated him.

He failed.

_Suki, I'm sorry..._

He closed his eyes just as the world tumbled away, muffling his ears with the booming discharge of power and then... Nothing.

Instead of the energy piercing through his body, he found only Azula being thrown back by her own power, the smoke of the explosion still dancing under the wind where she stood a moment ago.

_Unbalanced._

He didn't wait for her to get up.

Whatever power made him freeze a moment ago lifted away, and he was running into the island, running through the roads and into the jungle.

Birds flew out of his way as his blurry vision found roots and stones on his path. He jumped, burned a bush, and found himself tackling something hard on the ground. He rolled with the other body, wondering how Azula had managed to get in front of him, and then scoffing at that same thought. She was Azula, she could do the impossible. He fell down a slope, and then hit his back against a trunk, losing the little breath he held to. Zuko was ready to hear her hateful voice again, but when she called his name, it was not alarm he felt, but something else, achingly good.

Blue eyes looked down on him, blue not ember, blue and filled with something he missed more than words could tell.

"You, Stupid Lord, what do you think you're doing? Are you all right?" She whispered in a hoarse voice, and Zuko chuckled offering her his own teary smile.

"I am now."


	9. Chapter 9

**THE BEATING HEART OF OTHERS  
**

* * *

Toph Beifong was not used to the small meaningful words a caring person would say to another.

It wasn't like she had never listened to them before. Her parents had tried all her life, speaking to her and about her in loving terms, and yet, it was always the pity she caught on to, that and the pampering, the unbreakable belief that she was a thin crystal, put on this world only to break.

It was easy, to brush it away, to shout and seek the shelter of her own skin. She knew what she was capable of, knew who she was deep inside and knew, without a doubt, that she could take on the world if needed, even though there were things she couldn't do, like staring at the words on a piece of paper.

Feeling her surroundings, she knew clearly where the other girl was sitting, her heartbeat keeping up a calming rhythm, so different from Aang and Sokka in the most subtle ways. Fidgeting, she thought back to a time when doing this would've been unthinkable and yet she sat down by Katara's side all the same and let the purse with a thousand gold pieces fall between them.

"So, gonna grab your part of the booty?"

"The booty?"

"That's right, we went, we saw and we conquered, like true adventurers out for mischief." Katara made a sound similar to a chuckle. "So how did it feel to be part of the trouble makers?"

"It felt good, but come on, you don't really think this was my first time, do you?"

"What is that?"

"Back when we began our travels, I stole a waterbending scroll from some pirates." Katara laughed dryly, the fondness clear in her voice. "It was a mess, of course. The pirates came back after us, and Zuko was with them, we got caught, we almost died and..."

"The usual, you mean?"

A pause. She couldn't see the smile, but she heard the whispers of joy in her voice. "Yes, the usual."

"Girl, I didn't know this side of you, but I have to say, I like it" Toph laughed sincerely, and Katara joined her shortly after. Of course, she had known the water tribe girl was fearsome and brave and all those things, but to know she was not above a big rule breaking trip once in a while settled something unknown in Toph's heart, a tiny piece that she hadn't know she'd been missing until then.

"So, am I fun now?"

"You're fun Katara, if nothing else you're fun to argue with."

"Well, thanks, I guess" The snark on her voice didn't sound as true as the fondness, but in the pause that followed she could feel the trepidation coming from the other girl. "I'm sorry, by the way, about before. I know your relationship with your parents is complicated, and I shouldn't have said what I said."

**"**It's ok." Toph explained, thick strangeness setting inside her throat, but like everything in her life, she wouldn't be cowed by her traitorous emotions. Swallowing, she moved on, speaking the truth. "I was really mad when you said all that stuff because; well, because maybe it is true. I try not to think about it, but when I left, I probably really hurt them."

She thought back to her parents, wondering what they were doing at the moment. Their only daughter had vanished, off to fight somewhere, to be with the avatar, but the avatar was believed dead now. _Do they think I'm dead too?_ She wondered. _Do they cry at night, missing __me__? _The question simply made something tingle behind her eyes, and she closed them right away, diving into her word of sounds and darkness. She felt the earth under her, the water so deep in the subterranean and her friends back at the camp, almost drowned by Appa's strong heartbeat.

Sokka's presence though, stood out a little more to her now, if nothing else by the familiarity she felt with him after their conversation yesterday. The boy had dragged her to the edge of a cliff, his heartbeat singing of fear and uncertainty and she had tried to cut through the conversation right away.

"So let me guess. You brought me out here to tell me your sister's not as annoying as I make her out to be."

**"**Nah, she's pretty much a pain." Sokka had said, surprising her. "She's always got to be right about everything, and she gets all bossy, and involved, and in your business."

**"**Yeah, I don't know how you can deal with it."

**"**Actually, in a way, I rely on it."

**"**I don't understand." And she didn't, at least, not at the time.

**"**When our mom died, that was the hardest time in my life" Sokka spoke, mournfully and guilty altogether. "Our family was a mess, but Katara, she had so much strength. She stepped up and took on so much responsibility. She helped fill the void that was left by our mom."

If she had her sight, Toph would've looked away. **"**I guess I never thought about that."

There was a brief interlude in the conversation when she could hear Sokka's intake of breath.

"I'm gonna tell you something crazy. I never told anyone this before, but honestly, I'm not sure I can remember what my mother looked like. It really seems like, my whole life, Katara's been the one looking out for me. She's always been the one that's there, and now, when I try to remember my mom, Katara's is the only face I can picture."

Suddenly, she had remembered her own mother, or at least the shapes she could feel through her senses, the cadence of her voice and the polite way in which she spoke. She remembered songs, and warmth and warnings about her safety and she couldn't quite say what made her talk.

**"**The truth is, sometimes Katara does act motherly, but that's not always a bad thing. She's compassionate and kind, and she actually cares about me. You know, the real me. That's more than my own mom." Was it guilt? That ugly thing squirming inside her? She couldn't tell, she wasn't sure, she knew that admitting what she just did, was not as wrong as she first thought. "Don't _ever_ tell her I said any of this."

She punched his shoulder to get her message across, the contact of her knuckles on his bare skin way too brief, way too sudden.

Behind her, she could hear the soft snores that filled the air one by one. Right now another night was growing in the Fire Nation, the citizens of Fire Fountain City would sleep well or not so much if they feared their pockets would be picked by the Runaway, and suddenly, Katara's hands was on her shoulder's.

They were alone, and no one else was around, and so Toph allowed her head to lean on her friend just a bit.

"Katara?"

"What is it Toph?"

She said the words to herself a few times and when she spoke she made sure her voice came out strong and free of doubts. "I would like to write something for my parents."

A pause, the wind blew, the world slept, the earth was solid and gentle under her feet.

"I would love to help."

* * *

It was a long-suffering sigh that left the young woman's lips as she adjusted her rear on the chair. It was still mighty uncomfortable, and so she tried again, trying to relieve the pain on her back that she only recently realized would be a problem.

To be honest, she barely noticed anything until her friend finally fell asleep on the bed.

Mai could still remember the fear that had gnawed at her soul as she pulled Ty Lee through the island, the young acrobat panting and slumping every two steps, the song of her small whimpers giving way to screams when they were finally placed inside this ward. The healer had moved fast, and hadn't she seem burns been treated before, Mai was sure she would've thrown a knife at the man as he picked at the pieces of clothing and cleaned the wound, the only thing she could do was hold Ty Lee's hand and assure her of her presence.

Now her friend was down after taking sleeping draft, and the burn was dressed in honey and herbs, the bandages reaching all the way to her shoulder, covered by a wet cloth. Chewing on her lower lip, Mai made sure it was wet, before letting the cool rag over the wound again and gazing at her surroundings.

For a healing ward, the room was surprisingly empty, which was a good thing she supposed. The only other occupant was another girl, who immediately looked away upon being spotted. Mai didn't care, she liked the silence, it had been her friend for longer than she remembered.

Suddenly, a hiss and a booming sound echoed through the room, screeching metal vibrating under her boots and her first instinct was to reach the knives inside her sleeves

"It's all right, that is the airship taking off." The girl explained from her bed and Mai relaxed, frowning in thought at the Fire Lord's new war machine. "I'm Ami, by the way."

"Mai." She mumbled, keeping her attention on Ty Lee.

"Mai, so that is your name." The girl chirped. "I gotta say, it's really nice to know how to call you instead of, you know, that girl who kicked my butt."

Mai had no idea what the girl was talking about, and for once she just wanted to be alone with her stupid conscience, and contemplate her choices in peace. Choices she would make again in a heartbeat and were only grimed by Ty Lee's pain. Those thoughts inevitably brought her back to Azula, and the look on her eyes. She had always known the Fire Princess as a cold and calculating person, but at that moment, Mai for the first time was taken by a fear that made her want to run away instead of offering meek obedience.

It was a new one for sure. Obedience was a way of life, she supposed, you did what you were told and you were rewarded for it, another path was always unfathomable and even now she wondered what prompted her madness.

When Zuko suddenly limped into the ward, she allowed a small part of her to breathe a sigh of relief in that he actually seemed well, despite the dressing wrapped around his leg.

"How is she?"

"She is fine for now." Zuko nodded, and Mai licked her lips. "Azula?"

"I got away before she could kill me." He grimaced, quickly changing the subject. "You should rest a while now, Mai, Ty Lee will take some time to wake up. Burns are a nasty business."

"I remember."

Mai doubted she would ever forget the sight of Zuko lying on his bed with half his face burned off, his uncle a constant shadow at his side at a time when she had not the courage or the grit to be. She had been just a child, scared and intimidated. Inside her grip, Ty Lee's hand was cold.

Zuko blinked at her gesture, and smiled, moving over the acrobat and inspecting the wound. Mai was puzzled by his actions until he waved his fingers over the burn, pointing one hand towards the bowl of water which immediately begun to smoke with heat.

"That will help."

Mai nodded, and just then a throng of girls came into the room, four of them, all dressed in leather armor, burned here and there. They all seemed to have been in a fight recently as they came over Ami, bringing each some kind of food.

"Those are the Kyoshi Warriors, they helped keep Azula's men away while we took off." Mai nodded distractedly, understanding the looks thrown her way by some of them. If these girls wanted some kind of revenge, she would be glad to show them otherwise.

"Zuko"

A red-haired one was waiting for him at the door, the same one Mai vaguely remembered shouting orders when she arrived at the airship before taking off to find Zuko. That alone was yet another reminder that she was standing on strange grounds now, barely able to find her footing among so many unknowns. Her ex-boyfriend offered her one last smile, asking her to eat something soon before disappearing with the stranger, leaving her and Ty Lee with the rest of the warriors.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for their conversation to turn to whispers, and then indignation, before finally a girl with blinking gray eyes approached her.

"Hi, huh, Ami said your name was, Mai?"

"Yes."

"Well, we were wondering if you'd like to have dinner with us." She pointed over her shoulder. "We just got supplies and Cook made this komodo chicken soup, it is delicious."

Mai didn't say anything, she stared, hesitating at the mere idea of lowering her guard.

"Give up, Aiko!" Another girl said. "I told you she wouldn't want anything to do with us."

"Just let her answer!" The girl pouted, looking back at Mai. "Sorry about that, Fay is still a little sore about our fight."

"Sore?" Mai couldn't help but let appear a tiny smirk at that. She hid it quickly, of course, not wanting to cause troubles, but Aiko caught on to it anyway.

"Yes, I mean, I trained a lot, but you guys, you're something else. Your friend especially."

"She is."

"Maybe she could teach us some of those moves one of these days."

"I bet she would love that." Mai answered. Knowing Ty Lee, the girl would jump at the chance of making friends, and she wouldn't even care if they were enemies not a few hours ago.

She still hesitated to join the group, and she told her so, but when Aiko came back not a moment later leaving a bowl of soup for her, she couldn't help but feel grateful.

The Kyoshi Warriors chatted away into the night, Ty Lee slept, and Mai wondered what her parents would think of her now.

* * *

It had been an almost desperate deal, and yet, she found herself calm and collected as the airship finally took off, and she watched what was left of Azula's spies to look on as they departed.

It had been a very brief fight, but her sisters and men did their job very well, and not a single one of them was left behind There were small injuries, but those firebenders had not expected to fall upon a full crew of warriors and an airship to boot. Really, sometimes it felt really good to be underestimated.

After that, she had left Zuko with the healer, brought him to his uncle's door – the general had apparently being sleeping during the whole fight - and left to oversee some last arrangements and their new destiny.

She had left her husband kneeling before his uncle's door, and found him in the same position when she came back.

It was not unexpected. His capacity to recognize his mistakes and seek atonement was something she found, at the same time, endearing and wished had come from a happier life. He was a great man, her husband, but his ability to berate himself was off the charts some times, and so, walking ahead, she forced a small part of her heart to open up again, seeking out those sweet memories she had been trying to bury in name of the mission.

"I missed you"

"I missed you too" He mumbled, reaching out with a hand that she took gently with her fingers.

Somehow, amidst all the chaos they hadn't even managed to exchange more words than those first few ones and the smile and feeling of him entwined around her. Those things that were gentle and kind and assuring of companionship. Sitting down by his side, she let her gaze rise towards the door and sighed.

"Do you remember that time when you accidentally burned Izumi's doll?"

The air stilled, and his voice was hoarse when he answered. "It wasn't my fault."

"Of course not."

"Druk wanted to play."

"Of course he did." She saw his mouth twitching with the instinct of a smile, and Suki kept going, letting the words pour out of her mouth. "She was so angry, she didn't speak with you for days until you finally sat down in front of her room and promised to stay there until she talked."

"She didn't think I could do it"

"No one should underestimate the power of a Fire Lord's buttocks" She giggled at the sight of how red his cheeks became. "You know you don't need to worry about your uncle right?"

A pause, a shift. "I'm not sure, I mean, what if he doesn't forgive me if I don't do everything as I remember? What if I change it and things get strange..."

His voice died away, and she felt his own fears reflect inside herself. "I guess we really should've asked for a manual before Korra sent us back, right?"

"That would be helpful." He looked down, brushing the dressing around his legs where a new scar would, no doubt, take place. A scar he had never had before. "I thought I could get through to Azula, but in the end, me acting out so sure of myself only made her suspicious. I think I hurt her more than before."

She never really got to meet Azula as well as Zuko did. Their only interactions out of battle had been rare and never alone. There was never a conversation between her and the Fire Princess, but still, Suki knew well enough the feeling of missing a sister.

"There's still time."

"I hope so..." He looked over her from under the bangs of dark spiky hair. "What about you? Your mother..."

Suki shook her head. "I know mother is fine, I know it."

"Of course."

He squeezed her hand, and Suki could feel it now, the pull trying to bring them together, the softness around his good eye, the invite of his lips. She wanted him then, her husband, but before she could even work that out through that whole desperate ordeal they found themselves in, the door abruptly opened and Suki was struck once again by the sight of Iroh, so alive despite his age. He never had anything but gray hair in her mind. Even in death he had looked peaceful as friends and family lit his pyre, the fire burning for hours in a small courtyard of a tea shop, back in Ba Sing Se.

In her memories she could remember holding her children as they cried, trying to find the right words to make them understand that their grandpa was not coming back. She could remember Izumi's brave face during the funeral, the first time she found herself so sure that her daughter would be a great Fire Lord, and then, of course, Zuko, for whom she held herself together, just so she could hold him when he cried at night.

He had only recovered somewhat after she sent him away, asking Aang to take care of him, hoping friends could do something for her husband away from his duties and the palace, but even after he came back, smiled and kissed her sweetly, Suki had always known that losing someone was hard.

She couldn't really imagine how it felt to have that same person back, at least not now.

In the present, Zuko's uncle stopped short, his face turning serious as Zuko slowly got to his feet and he barely opened his mouth before the general had him in his arms.

"Uncle..." Her husband said, voice muffled in the red silk.

"My dear nephew." Iroh whispered, and Suki saw the tears streaming down their faces, their voices caught inside their throats, raspy and hoarse. "I was so afraid for you, Zuko."

"And I for you uncle..." A pause. "I love you."

Somehow Iroh's hand seemed to get tighter around Zuko, and finally Suki allowed them to be alone, only stopping around the corner for a brief peek. They wouldn't mind she was sure. It was a sweet moment, and the tears in her eyes seemed like enough to grant them privacy.

_I should tell them,_ she thought suddenly, thinking of all the people that were precious to her and now, thanks to a dark miracle, were back in her life. _I should let them know that I love them._

She paused at that thought and had to smile through her tears, wondering what Mai's reaction would be like to have some stranger direct those words at her.


	10. Chapter 10

**First lemon of the story, it might not be what you expected though XD But seriously, I hope I did all right, any constructive criticism is appreciated.  
**

** XD**

* * *

**Interlude**

* * *

It was another cold night, as Korra made her way through the long hallways of the palace, her steps taking her to the chambers kindly offered by the Fire Lord.

Her training with Tenzin and Jinora had gone long after the proper hours, more due to her insistence really, but after hours of meditation in and out of the spiritual world, her only reward was a headache pulsing against her temples.

It was of no use, their only hope was going down the drain, and Korra could feel the disappointment and hopelessness even from Raava at this point. Ten thousand years of darkness suddenly felt all too real and yet hard to think about. That length of time had only come closer to her understanding when she had first learned to access her avatar state, when the knowledge and power of so many past lives seemed to merge together in an infinite ocean of information, of which only the surface was enough to drown her.

When she finally found herself inside her room, Korra found that the thought of sleep was flimsy and distant, and she could only stare longingly at the side of the bed that should be hers.

Instead, she made her gaze move to the only occupant, her long coal curls neatly tucked into a ponytail, her face peaceful and free of worries, her girlfriend.

After all this time it was still hard to believe that Asami Sato was her girlfriend, that those bright green eyes would look at her with love and something else. Even more unbelievable were the nights where they would be together in the throes of pleasure, sweaty bodies, and blushing cheeks, all touches and adoration. How long has it been since the last time? As she felt something sinking into her guts, Korra turned away, not even bothering to change from her normal clothes. She wanted the cold, the gentle breeze and the sight of the Caldera covered in snow under a pitch black sky. She needed to see it, if only to regain her resolve, it was her burden to bare after all, the burden of the avatar.

A long, shuddering breath suddenly left her lips, and Korra could feel her heart drumming against her rib cage. Sweaty palms clutched the marble of the balcony, and when she closed her eyes it was Unalaq and Vaatu fused together that appeared, those eyes of purple light fixating on her from above, and the deep powerlessness that she felt under that gaze.

_My fault..._

From that point on Republic City sunk under waves of darkness, the North and her home followed suit, and the world was never so close to falling under shadows and oppression.

_My fault…_

It all came back to that battle, to the sight of Raava taking one attack after another until she felt every other life being torn apart from her soul.

_My fault…_

She wasn't good enough, she wasn't vigilant enough.

_My fault..._

"Korra?"

She froze, her whole body suddenly felt like a block of ice, straining under the pressure as the woman came to stand by her side. From the corner of her eye, she took her in, the heavy robe wrapped around her body, the way her pale skin seemed to glimmer even in the darkness, or how she looked at her, all worried and curious.

"H-hi..."

"You won't be able to save the world if you fall asleep in battle." Her girlfriend explained, her lips curving into a smile.

"I-I know."

The expression on Asami's face changed from worried, to determined, her warrior face as Korra liked to call it, it was there whenever they were sparring or when she was out in a meeting. "Korra, this is not the first time, please talk to me."

"It's nothing, Asami, really I'm fine… I-I was just breathing some fresh air."

She could tell right away that her girlfriend failed to believe it, but she didn't push for an answer for which she was glad. Instead of a interrogation, she felt Asami's warm hand wrapping around her own, and then, Korra suddenly had her face leaning over a shoulder. She smelled of lemons and the lingering scent of grease, and words she felt necessary were said before she could help herself.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

Korra tried to think of an answer that wasn't the truth, but If she closed her eyes she could see the crowds, millions of men, women, and children all disappointed because she couldn't protect them. "For being a lousy girlfriend."

"You're not a lousy girlfriend."

She felt Asami embracing her side and tighten her hold, but it did little to abate the mess pulsing against her head. "I am, the world is ending, and I barely see you nowadays."

"You have your training."

"My training is going nowhere." She moved away from the embrace, and back towards the cold. She liked the cold. The south pole had been cold before it was overrun by dark spirits. "I-I can't do this, the world needs me and I can't do anything."

"That is not true."

"Isn't it?" She turned to Asami, she wanted to stop talking, she wanted to hear whatever her girlfriend was about to say, but she couldn't stop it, suddenly it all came crashing down. She couldn't bend, she couldn't save Raava, she couldn't walk, she couldn't breathe… "We don't have a plan, Asami, we don't have the Tree of Time, we don't have anything. I've been trying for months now, and I'm no close to reconnecting with my past lives! There is nothing I can do, nothing! I..."

The warmth of another body colliding against her own, and wrapping her frame, made her finally stop. She accepted the hug eagerly, willing the pain and frustration away, willing her words to be a lie. As she felt the first sob racking her body, she threw herself into Asami, feeling more like a child than a woman grown.

"Korra..." When she pulled away, Korra was surprised to find them both kneeling on the ground, Asami's face having tears of her own as well. _You made your girlfriend cry_, a mean voice said in her mind. "Korra, look at me."

She did.

"I know things seem bleak right now, but how many times have we saved the world before? Amon, Unalaq, the Red Lotus, Kuvira, time and again things seemed lost, but we got back to our feet and we beat them, remember? You, me, Mako and Bolin, we're the Team Avatar, silly."

"I-I know that, it's just… I can't do it."

"I know" Asami interrupted, her face was gentle, her smile soft. "Sometimes, it feels like too much, but I'm here, I can share the load with you. Everyone can, you might be the only one who can stop Wan Shi Ton, but it doesn't mean you can't seek us out for support. "

Korra sniffled, rubbing her tears, even as she watched her girlfriend shivering under the cold. "Oh, oh spirits I'm so sorry."

She created a small flame, and let the heat engulf them both, the warmth pulling around her like a blanket.

"It's all right, how are you feeling?"

Korra thought about it for a moment. She wanted to say she was okay, but she wasn't, her head was still hurting, and her thoughts felt like a swirling mess, always going back to her ghosts. "A little better."

"Just a little?"

"A little."

"That is okay." Asami nodded, her eyes lingering on her, green like the grass in the Spirit World, alive and gentle and intense. "I love you, remember?"

"O-of course I do."

"Great." Her face changed then and she seemed nervous. Korra could only watch as her girlfriend suddenly asked her to wait where she was, and proceeded to disappear into their chambers. She came back a moment later, holding a small satchel in her hands. "Now, I wasn't sure when the time would be appropriate, but… Well, do you remember what we talked about before this whole mess started?"

Korra was still getting back to her feet as she tried to remember what Asami was talking about. She remembered many conversations, but then, there was only one that stood out in her memories, of a small room in Air Temple Island and words full of promises and resolves, and suddenly there was blood rushing to her cheeks. "Oh."

Asami fidget with the object in her hands. "It took me a while, but I think I got it right."

She unwrapped the contents, and Korra could only look at the pale round stone that was revealed, the blue carving showing symbols of all four elements balanced around one another, in a fashion similar to the one she had seen many times on the members of her tribe.

"Y-you mean..."

Asami blushed, suddenly incapable of looking her in the eye. "I know it feels sudden, but we talked so many times about this, about our future. I-I'm not… Dammit, this isn't the right time, is it? Korra I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking I just..."

"Asami! It's beautiful… I..." Korra tried to say she accepted, but she was already crying again, and she wondered if at any moment her body would dehydrate. Was that even possible? She didn't know, she couldn't really speak, but she could turn around and tuck her hair out of the way in a clear invitation.

Asami understood, and slowly, Korra felt the betrothal necklace around her neck. The stone was cold against her skin, but she couldn't remember the last time that much happiness bubbled inside her. Her heart now alive, she turned around and almost tackled Asami when she brought their lips together, the kiss turning hot as Korra opened her mouth, inviting Asami's tongue inside and sending shivers down her body, reawakening a hunger that was sweet and wanting.

When they parted for air, her girl… No, her fiancee was panting with her, her lips curving into a mischievous smirk. "I guess that is a yes then."

"Of course it is, there was never any doubt."

"I know."

Asami kissed her again, and now it was a different kind of heat that Korra felt growing inside her, pulsing under her skin. When that scorching mouth suddenly found a way to her neck, the heat was pulsing, making her tremble, and she could only relieve it through a rather embarrassing whimper.

"Let's go to bed..." came the husky whisper, warm breath tickling her ear, torturous and sweetly, as a hand started pulling her back inside.

The sheets were red and silk, the best in the Fire Nation, and they felt wonderful on her bare skin after her top landed on the floor. Asami didn't let up, still wearing her robe, the woman pulled her pants, and then her underwear, slowly down her legs, too slow, but when she leaned over, and breathed warmth into her core, Korra could only close her eyes and groan.

"Asami!"

"Sorry." That giggle was almost annoying. "I couldn't help myself, but I guess it has been too long, right?"

Well aware of that, Korra pulled her down, smiling against her lips, her legs rubbing together at the signs of her arousal.

"Asami..." She moaned, pulling at the robes. Those clothes had to come off, she couldn't wait to touch her, not a moment longer. She felt Asami's lips enveloping one nipple and suck, and Korra moaned in complaint when the touch disappeared, only to be mesmerized by sight of the woman slowly dropping her robes to the ground. She wore a pink, see-through nightgown underneath which she discarded even quicker and Korra gulped at the sight, her hands shaking at the mere thought of being together.

Asami was beautiful, there was no other way to describe it. From her now loose curls cascading around her face, to her full lips and long neck, and down to her flushed chest and breasts, pink nipples hard from the cold. Her gaze traveled down to the patch of dark hair between her legs, and then the legs themselves, which seemed to go on forever, all lean muscle and soft skin.

_Beautiful._

She told her so.

"Thanks, Korra, you're beautiful too."

She didn't have to ask how, because suddenly Asami was jumping to her side, that sweet mouth running a fiery path of wet kisses down to her breasts, and to her stomach sucking the flesh while hands kept roaming the rest of her body. For Korra, she was suddenly too hot, every piece of her pulsing with energy, as her muscles clenched all together, and then relaxed, her hands helplessly grabbing the sheets when a ghost of a touch finally found its way between her legs.

A pair of fingers began to move inside her, first slowly, and then growing in speed, each touch in her depths tightening a knot of pleasure that squirmed for release. Her voice now just a tool made so she could demand, ask and beg for more.

In her hellish heaven of need, Korra suddenly tried to look down, whimpering at the sight of those dark curls between her tights, and those green eyes who found her in the darkness. Those lips suddenly curved in a smirk, and opened, lowering down and down, and down. When a tongue came over to lap her clit, the sound she made could've been from another being, something else that would do anything to make that tension go away, to free her body from that sweet edge that had every muscle inching and moving in anyway that could amplify the sensations.

"Asaaamiiii..." Korra tried to give warning, but Asami didn't seem to care. Her touch was unforgivable, the tongue kept working, the fingers pounded into her core, while one hand suddenly grabbed hold of her ass, trailing between her cheeks.

Something soft and wet suddenly wrapped around her clit, the suction happened and finally the knot snapped. Korra let out a groan, her whole body pulsing with energy, as she felt the tremors running up and down her body. Asami didn't let up though, bringing her pleasure to a peak, lights exploding behind her eyelids, while she clenched around those still moving fingers.

When her orgasm finally subsided, she mumbled a few words, not sure if she had asked Asami to stop or to keep going. Her body felt hungry and sated all at the once, sticking to the sheets by a layer of sweat, while her head floated, light as a feather. Everything was hot and warm, as she tried to regain her breath, barely aware of the shadow of her lover by her side.

"You good?"

Finally recovering enough to look into those green eyes, her voice husky and wanton, Korra smirked, pulling that sweet mouth down to a kiss of peculiar taste before whispering back.

"Your turn."

Asami's eyes widened in surprise for only a second until Korra had her tackled under her hold. Then it was her turn to taste skin, to lick it and kiss and hold until Asami was just as wanting as she had been. She licked her core until she was sated and drunk in the scent, she grabbed those squishy ass cheeks until her fiancee was trembling under her touch.

Later, after a quick run to the bathroom, she snuggled over Asami's chest, allowing the other woman to hold her, way into the night. Sated, satisfied, their bodies were warm, close and glowing.

"You good?"

"Very funny" Came Asami's retort and Korra snickered, smiling under the sweet touch of fingers running through her locks. "I hope you know now that you're not alone."

"Definitely got that point."

"It was a pleasure."

Korra snuggled closer, staring at Asami's bright pink nipple right in front of her. She brought a hand up and felt the now warm stone around her neck and sighed. Even her headache seemed to be eased now as she contemplated her fiancee's words, and knew that she was right.

She really wasn't alone, and she was glad for the reminder.

Most important, she couldn't wait to tell everyone about the news. She could guess that Bolin would have lots of suggestions about the wedding, Mako would be weird in that endearing way of his, while Tenzin and Pema would wrap her in a hug each and the kids… Korra smiled just thinking of the kids, all grown up, jumping up and down with more questions than anyone could give. Her parents, her parents would be happy, Korra knew for sure, but there were so many people to tell, so many…

"That is it!"

Suddenly, she couldn't stop herself from jumping up in bed, everything becoming clear as crystal, as she got up and looked to the door while Asami stirred.

"Korra..."

"Asami, I know the answer, I know how to fix this!" She grinned at the woman, getting up on her feet.

"What are you talking about?"

"The time travel, you know? All this time I thought I had to be the one to go back in time, everyone assumed I needed to connect to my past lives to go back to another body and stop all of this, but it doesn't have to be me!"

She grinned even more excited, and tripped towards the door, taking a hold of it when Asami screamed. "Korra, wait!"

"Asami, I'm so sorry, but I have to tell Tenzin!"

"Well, yes, you can do that, but as much as I enjoy the sight of your naked butt, I don't think Tenzin, or the guards, will find it as endearing."

"What?" Korra finally looked down, blushing at her state of undress. _Spirits!_ What was wrong with her? Blushing even harder, she went about looking for her clothes, just as Asami let out a giggle and followed suit. "Spirits, this is so embarrassing."

Asami put on her robe over a pair of fresh underwear and shrugged. "Hey, at least you didn't open the door, besides, if you think about it, it would be a great way to tell them about the wedding, wearing only your necklace and stuff."

Korra narrowed her eyes playfully. "You're enjoying this."

"Yes I am, it will be one of those embarrassing stories everyone has about their partners." Asami pecked her lips, and then she was opening the door, just as Korra pulled down her top. "Now come on Avatar, lets go save the world."


	11. Chapter 11

**COMFORT**

* * *

Suki loved pai sho.

Only her closest friends knew about that. It wasn't a taste she developed on her own, but something she took from her own mother long ago, a training exercise, not only for concentration but for leadership, making the right decisions and trying to use her resources as best as possible. It was also about dealing with consequences, because sometimes, if you did the wrong move, there was no going back and your only chance was to keep playing.

Sadly, it was not a passion she shared with her family.

Zuko liked to play of course, but her husband was horrible at it, and winning tended to be less fun when she did so all the time. She tried to teach her children once of course, but while Izumi seldom wanted to play, the rest right out denied to try. it was for that and many other reasons that she had treasured Mai's friendship in her time, not only the other woman was smart and focused, she was always willing to surprise her in the game, seldom playing the same way twice. A real challenge, one often involving bets from one side or the other as their friendly games developed into a rivalry of sorts.

All things considered it was always nice to beat her.

"What are you doing? You should play the water one!" Ty Lee complained as Mai moved her flower tile over the board, trying to form a harmony to the flustering of her friend.

Mai frowned. "I know what I'm doing, Ty Lee."

It had been a spur of the moment decision for Suki.

Her men found the board and tiles stored inside the airship, probably the possession of a future captain or something and the game had been a fair entertainment for her crew so far and one that jumped to the front of her mind when she glimpsed the two alone in the healing ward. It was a way to distract, to be friendly, and maybe a little bit of payback. Usually, using her experience from the future for petty reasons, such as beating Mai on pai sho wouldn't be on her list as something to be proud of, but then again, it had been ages since she had actually beaten the woman.

Chewing her lips to hold back a smile, Suki used her fire tile to dry Mai's flowers. In turn, her opponent played her white dragon, taking her jade, and then Suki played her earth, building a harmony.

"I told you to play the water!"

"I know what I'm doing."

"Well, it doesn't look like it."

It was while watching those two together that Suki was suddenly struck by a sense of comfort. They had such opposite personalities that even now she wondered how they could be so close. In a way it made her think about her own team of warriors, each one different, and yet all of them agreeing to a common goal, and to take care of one another. Complementing, never bringing each other down.

"So, Ty Lee, I heard you've been giving chi-blocking lessons?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess, I mean, that stupid healer won't let me out of bed and stuff." She pouted. "But I can still teach a few things."

"So are you and the girls getting along?"

Ty Lee blinked, grinning. "Of course we are, I mean, I don't think Fay likes me very much, but Ami is really cool, and Tam is so funny, she told me a joke the other day about a chicken-pig and a..." A tile moved over the board, and Suki smirked at the interruption, quietly answering Mai's move with one of her own. It delayed her victory, but nothing else. "By the way, is it true you girls protect your island all by yourselves?"

"Well, not just us of course, the Kyoshi Warriors were created by Avatar Kyoshi to protect her home, you see? So each village on the island has its own group of warriors." Suki explained, a lily tile moving around her fingers. "Each has a leader of course, and each leader answers to a council formed by our eldest and most experienced warriors."

"Wow, that sounds amazing." Ty Lee said, smiling. "How did you become a Kyoshi Warrior?"

"Well that is kind of personal" It was very easy to not catch the small twitch of Mai's expression, but she did.

"Oh come on! Please tell me, you already know I fled home to the circus, right?"

Indeed Ty Lee had been pretty open about her time away from her family, and after considering the situation for a moment, Suki finally acquiesced. "All right."

It was very easy to dismiss Ty Lee's genuine curiosity for naivety, when in truth, Mai and Ty Lee were as sharp as a meteor sword, playing off each other until they got all the information they needed. It was an amazing plot, and if Future Ty Lee hadn't boasted about it to her once, she might have been fooled. Suki had no doubt they had already gotten a lot of information from her sisters, and in their situation, she wouldn't begrudge them some measure of assurance.

Thinking back to her home, she spoke carefully, of memories old, weathered and resilient.

"Well, first of all, I think I should tell you about Kyoshi, since we were never really in the war. A little island between the Earth Kingdom and the South Pole, it's easy to be forgotten, but of course, the war got there nonetheless and there were always the pirates and bandits, seeking easy prey." She played her water tile and watched Mai using her own. "I never really met my parents, the raid was short, the firebenders came in and went away in the blink of an eye. They say they must've been a lost ship, starving and all, desperate."

"You lost your parents?" There was genuine emotion in Ty Lee's voice now, and Suki could feel Mai's gaze, watching her.

"As I said, I don't really remember them. I was just a baby at the time, but I do remember growing up knowing they were killed. It is not a nice feeling. I grew up an orphan, watching the warriors from afar, from a young age I knew I wanted to be one of them, to protect my home."

"And you did."

"I did." She smiled, closing a harmony on her side of the board. "I was eight years old when I start to sneak inside the dojo and use their practice fans. The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors of my village found me like that, a small little girl struggling to copy the grown ups so of course she took me in. She trained me and taught me, she became my mother for all intents and purposes."

If she closed her eyes, Suki was not sure she would be able to remember her mother's face, her death had been so long ago and her grief was long subdued. She did, however, remember her smell, sweat and weathered leather, and a smile that was only for her when she completed her kata.

Her story ended, Ty Lee suddenly got to her feet, apologizing as she ran to the bathroom, leaving her and Mai finally alone, just as she made her final move.

"I win."

"It seems so." Mai pointed out, not bothering to remove the pieces as she leaned back on the chair, hands tucked inside her sleeves.

"You can ask, you know?"

"Ask you what?"

"Whatever you want to" Suki prodded, knowing it was a shot in the dark at best. For a moment it seemed that Mai was satisfied to simply remain silent, the chair feeling hard and uncomfortable against this young body.

"Your mother, is she still at Kyoshi?"

"Yes, she is the leader of the council now, not that she was happy when I left." Images of a long room followed her with youthful trepidation, the stoic looks of the council and her own voice, speaking from the heart, making her feel strong and weak all at the same time.

"Why did you leave?"

"Because I had to." There was genuine curiosity coming from the other girl, while Suki nervously moved her toes inside her boot. "It wasn't easy, my whole life I was after her approval, but after Aang saved my village from being burned, I knew that I couldn't stand by. I couldn't be proud of myself if I let bad things happen and did nothing about it."

"I can relate." Mai replied. "You play very well."

"Thanks."

"I would apologize for your village, but if I kept track of everything terrible that my country did, we would be here forever."

"Not to worry, I got an apology straight from the guy who burned it."

Mai blinked, frowning. "You mean..."

"He burned down my village hunting the avatar" She answered right away, it was something she was so used to saying to strangers, it was almost comical to see Mai's widening eyes, and by widening it meant they widened slightly. "It didn't work."

Mai ruffed what could almost be a laugh. "Of course it didn't."

Whatever would come next, Suki wouldn't know, because suddenly Ty Lee was back, jumping over the bed and staring down at the board, her eyes twinkling, impressed.

"Wow, you know, you must be the first person to beat her at pai sho after..."

Ty Lee's voice trailed off, no doubt still hurt about the Fire Princess. Sighing, Suki brought her hand forward before she could think better of it, no matter what sort of time shenanigans she was involved in right now, those were two of her best friends who were suffering. They needed a distraction, and maybe a little hope.

"Have any of you ever heard of the Tale of the Two Lovers?"

"W-what is that?" Ty Lee questioned as Mai raised her eyebrows.

"It's an Earth Kingdom tale, very old, as old as earthbending itself. I think there is even a song about it."

* * *

In his time, Zuko had always judged himself a very good tea maker. It was a pleasure he only came to understand in time, not only embracing the process but also enjoying the peace it related to him, especially in those nights where he and his bodyguard would stay up late, gazing on the stars and sharing small talk.

Tea could be meditative, companionship, peace, and maybe that was what his uncle had tried to make him understand, or maybe he just thought it was delicious. Zuko wasn't interested in finding out, even as he watched his uncle going through his own personal touch. He had offered to do it, of course, only later remembering how poor his tea-making was at this age. His uncle certainly didn't forget, refusing very politely and forcefully, as he placed the ginseng into a tea ball and heated the water so it could steep. His uncle, who was more like a father, whose smile and horrible jokes brought joy to his children and delight to his wife. His uncle, who he buried under a heavy raining day, under a vine, overlooking his home. It was, perhaps, the worst day of his life, and now he could still feel a prickling sensation behind his eyes, as if he was not yet done crying.

When everything was ready and Zuko got a hold of himself, they both sat down, sharing a small sip and watching one another.

"So, you have something in your mind, my nephew?"

"A lot of things actually." Zuko stated, feeling the smooth ceramic with his fingers. "I'm really sorry, uncle."

"You don't have to be, I've told you already, Zuko. I was never angry with you, I was just..."

"Sad?"

"Yes, I was sad that you might have chosen a path that wouldn't bring you happiness."

Zuko tasted the ginseng, allowing the tea to go down warmly into his chest. "I've always wanted happiness, I think it is what I've been after ever since I could remember. I know better now."

"How so?"

"I'm selfish, uncle." Zuko admitted, feeling a rush of blood on his cheeks. "It's true, I am. I guess I never really thought much about my nation, my father or you. I wanted to be happy, and I always thought my honor would be the way to do it."

These are things he had thought a lot about in his life, some of them came to him in time, others Suki had spelled out without any judgment, a simple acknowledgment that he always made an effort to do good.

"And now?"

"Now?" Zuko chuckled, his now had been years from now, but as he gazed on his uncle he was reminded yet again of how alone he truly was. "Well, I intend to join the avatar, take down Ozai and, hopefully, help Azula as well."

"Azula?" Zuko nodded, wondering what words his uncle might have for him now. So long ago it was such a certainty that she needed to be taken down, and even with all his age, Zuko couldn't see another path beyond defeating her in battle. "That would be a risk."

"I know."

"Standing before your sister might actually be a danger to your life, Zuko."

"I'm aware of that as well, but, uncle, I don't want to hurt her." I don't want her to suffer again, I don't want to lose her again. "She didn't need to offer me a way back to the Fire Nation, and yet she did. I always wondered about that, about some of her actions, and I know she always lies, but at the same time I keep remembering how she was always there, with him, all this time."

His uncle hummed thoughtfully. Wordlessly, he took the teapot and filled Zuko's cup again, then proceeded to produced a few small biscuits, which he bit at slowly.

"I've tried to be there for her once." Zuko blinked, his surprise must have been showing on his face given the sad smile his uncle was giving him. "It was just after your agni kai, you were in bed for days, and some times I would catch her standing by the door. She had always been hard to read, your sister, even as a child, but at that time I could glimpse something like concern, or maybe it was curiosity about your situation. Whether one or the other, she was there nonetheless."

"What happened?"

"I took her out, to the gardens. I promised her I would teach a very amazing and secret firebending technique."

"She must have loved that."

Iroh nodded. "We spent some time talking after that, and even though she mastered the fire breath in a very short time, I judged our conversations had been very productive. I wanted her to start thinking for herself, beyond what my brother would want."

Zuko looked down when his uncle's voice trailed off, he had an inkling this story wouldn't have a happy ending, otherwise, why would he need to come back in time to hear it?

"Your father, of course, found out. His threats were very veiled, and so I didn't dare to approach Azula again."

"Then you came with me."

His uncle smiled, there was a lot behind that smile, love, regret, even joy. "It was a hard decision, in a situation where, I'm afraid, there was no right answer."

"I know, but I'm still grateful." He thought briefly. "Why are you telling me that now?"

"Because, you might have to face a situation like that is you wish to truly help your sister, Zuko. A situation where no answer is easy, and where you might have to take a risk." His uncle cocked his head to the side, the smile showing the wrinkles around his eyes. "Whatever you might need though, know that I'll help you."

"Thank you, uncle." Zuko swallowed. "I think I want to ask for that now actually. I know it's a long shot, but I wanted to get a message to Azula, something that I hope might reach her."

"I'll do everything that I can." His uncle promised, then remained silent, watching him over his cup. "You're very different, Zuko."

"What?"

"More different than I expected you to be. This crew of friends, your patience, I can't put my finger on it yet, but there is a big change around and in you." His uncle narrowed his eyes, and Zuko kept still. He honestly believed his uncle had enough wisdom to guess his real age, even now, but when the grin appeared, he knew to brace himself. "It must be some pretty lady right?"

"Uncle!" Zuko blushed, only making the man laugh.

"Oh, it is all right for such a young man to enjoy himself, prince Zuko, unless I am mistaken." Zuko sighed. "Is it a boyfriend, perhaps?" Zuko groaned, not helping how the teasing made him want to tear up again.

_Maybe I should just tell him everything._

* * *

_Stop it!_

The old woman was screaming now, her bones crackling, muscles pulsing with another one's presence, bending and forcing her to her knees. Then the screams turn into laughter.

_Stop it!_

"Congratulations Katara..." She gritted her teeth, her hands moved, bending her further, away from her, until her spine was forced back. She wanted it to stop, she wanted the woman to stop talking. "You're a bloodbender now."

The scream tore through her throat as she moved, the terrible crack of the woman's spine breaking in half echoing in her conscience as she woke up.

Katara took a startling time to realize what had happened, panting to regain her breath, her chest rising and falling in the rhythm of an ice spike.

Gulping, the girl brought her hands up to her eyes, taking in the shaky limbs against the half moon looming in the skies. The clouds were clearing, it seemed, but the stars were oddly silent tonight as she fell back against her makeshift pillow, the furs and clothes making for a poorly one, but alas, she was very used to the hard ground at this point.

Sighing to herself, she brought a hand up to rub her eyes, only to find them moist with angry tears.

It was the same as last night, and the night before. Almost every night since she had time to settle down and the distance grew between her and her sister from the Water Tribe. A sister that caused suffering, a sister that violated her more than any firebender she met. Shaking her head, she could only laugh bitterly at the thought. Someone from her own tribe had promised her power. More than that, she had been promised something she thought extinguished, the Southern Style of bending, a part of her, a part of her family, something she knew for certain her mother might have taught if she could.

Instead of learning something beautiful though, Katara for the first time learned the price of power such as this. It came with death, and hurt and evil.

Knowing sleep would flee from her tonight, she got to her feet. Silently stepping away from her sleeping friends, she walked around Appa, and came to stand on the edge of a cliff where they were resting for the night, just another one of many. This camp was close to a small fishing village, with small boats coming and going towards the sea its citizen caring only for the tides, the weather and the latest gossip, almost as if their country wasn't at war with the world.

In her dreams though, there was always power, the intoxicating feeling of having control over another person, to feel the blood pulsing inside every muscle and every vein, her own power overwhelming the chi of another as easily as stepping on a bug. Taking her gaze to a small patch of grass, she raised her fingers on a whim, and then the grass was dry and dead and beads of water were floating at her will.

_Water is almost everywhere, in almost everything._

Choking on a sob, she let the water fall, and brought her knees close to her chest. She could do many things with that kind of power, take down the Fire Nation for one, maybe even help Aang defeat the Fire Lord, but she was also well of aware of how wrong it felt, how wrong it would be, how filthy.

_I don't want this._

When someone suddenly sat by her side, she remained unmoved, wondering what it would take for the person to go away, and yet hoping they wouldn't. Hama had bent the blood of her friends to use them against her, she had forced them to almost die, until Katara had no choice but to do what she promised herself she wouldn't. Bend the blood of another person. It was the only way, and yet, the woman's laughter stayed with her the most, and sound that mocked her and yet seemed proud as well. Her break down back at the day still sat bitterly with her conscience, and yet having her friends embracing her, all warm and tender, was as sweet as a memory could be.

"Back when I had the avatar state, I would always have dreams about the people I hurt." His voice was faltering but went on all the same. "I would wake up in the middle of night, but I was so ashamed, I never thought of waking you guys. I had already slept off a hundred years, I didn't want to be more of a burden."

"You were never a burden, Aang"

The boy simply smiled at her, a sad and understanding gesture. "I'm just saying, I hope you know we're here for you."

Katara took in his words, they were so simple, the kind of truth you were told all your life, that you could count on your loved ones no matter what. And yet, it was good to be reminded of it once in a while, and so she nodded.

Both fell silent after that, her eyes on the village, his on the skies as if he was up there, flying with the clouds, free and light as a feather. Aang didn't say more, and Katara was, not for the first time, glad for the insight. Sometimes that boy could be so childish she forgot he had plenty of wisdom to share, and then, at other times, he was so wise and mature, she would forget he was the younger one between the two.

Suddenly, Katara chuckled, a sound that clearly surprised Aang. He was always so understanding, forgiving, and sitting there, she knew for certain that he wouldn't judge her, or make a joke, not now, and so she found herself talking.

"I was always glad for being a waterbender, you know? I mean, not just because of my tribe and my mother, but because water was so different than fire." She brought her hands tighter around her knees, somberly basking in the chilly air. "For a long time, fire was destruction, but water? I could heal with it, it was amazing you know? I always thought there was no way waterbending could be evil, but after what Hama taught me, it was all so wrong and..."

Aang still said nothing, but she finally understood what she wanted.

"I wished I could forget about it, I wish it could be taken away from me, the bloodbending."

"Katara..." His voice was so charged, strained and eager, she finally chanced to meet his gaze. "Do you really wish that?"

"I…" She hesitated, knowing that under his clothes, there would be a lightning scar marking his back. She had spent so many nights healing his body, even now it was clear in her mind, the different hue, the puckered, angry, red skin. "I don't know, how did you deal with it?"

She sought some kind of answer in those deep gray eyes of his, after a while, he gave her one.

"When I was training with the Guru, he talked to me about many things, he taught me that I couldn't let my guilt poison my thoughts and that I couldn't deny the parts of myself that I disliked." His hand moved over the hard ground, and Katara saw it, so close, but stopping just short of touching her. "I remember the first time I used firebending. I didn't want to try again, but he told me, I could never reach balance if don't accept every part of me, including the Avatar State."

"But you haven't bent fire ever since."

"That is true."

"Maybe, when this is over, you should try it again."

"Maybe."

Katara took in his sad smile, strange on his face, as if uncertain of his worth on that moment. In her dreams, her hands broke Hama and she became a monster, looking at herself from a distance, screaming for it to stop. Looking up, she almost hoped Yue would offer her a definitive answer, but the moon remained silent. Slowly, she moved her hand closer, so it was lying atop of his. Idly, she heard his breath caught, but none of them dared to disturb the peace.


	12. Chapter 12

**NEWS DANCES TO OLD SONGS  
**

* * *

The scream that tore out of Ty Lee's mouth was enough to pierce and shatter the glass of her nightmare.

Heaving, Azula felt her sheets clinging to her sweaty skin, her robes were uncomfortable and tight, closing in around her. Her chest wouldn't stop moving, as shaking hands got rid of everything, throwing the silk on the floor, only feeling a wisp of peace when she stood naked under the chill of the night. Closing her eyes, she tried with all her might to purge the images from her mind, but alas her commands fell on deaf ears as the sight of her friend burning lingered, her companion of every night ever since her return.

She was tired. She spent her day inspecting troops, making sure she had only the best on her side. Making sure there would be no more mistakes and no more traitors, making sure that day wouldn't repeat itself ever.

Softly, she felt the breeze and it reminded her of the soft marble she stood upon and suddenly she was on her kness, on her knees and aware of her father walking over her, aware of his shadow bathing her into a dark coldness.

Her report had sounded jumbled even to her own ears, hollow and clumsy, something that was not her at all. Her hands remained pressed against the floor, the marble growing colder by the instant. How could that room feel cold with all that fire? She breathed, in and out, like a true firebender, until the brush of soft silk made her heart leap all the way to her throat. Outward though, she showed nothing, her face was a blank mask of steel and iron, built over the years to withstand anything, even the storm brewing inside her.

"My precious daughter, you've failed me." His voice held no inflection, and yet she felt every muscle in her body screaming to turn around, to never let a threat stay in her blind spot. His words, more than anything, breaking all the promises she made to herself about hearing them. Those were for Zuko, not her.

"I won't let this betrayal continue, Father, I promise I shall bring them back..."

"You will do no such a thing." She breathed again, in and out. "Your brother has always been a disappointment, but now his treason is obvious and must be punished accordingly."

"Yes, Father."

"With his timing, it would be fair to assume he plans to be part of the invasion force."

She had come to the same conclusion already. "He doesn't know about our plans."

"Even so, we must make adjustments, and when he comes, you must be ready."

Her peered down into the floor, her lips were dry, and Azula, for the first time since she could remember, had trouble issuing the next answer, the words like sand spilling over her tongue. "I will be."

"There will be no more failures."

He had never spoken their names of course, Ty Lee and Mai were not as important as the Fire Prince, but the implications remained nonetheless, and their fate was settled even if unspoken. In a matter of hours their families had both been rounded up for questioning, and even now they were in some cell somewhere. She hadn't bothered to ask, but she reacted to it nonetheless. Pure rage had poured out of her, and she had sought Zuko's chambers blindly and destroyed everything in there. Even now, she had no idea if they had cleaned up the mess, and the satisfaction suddenly quenched some of her fire, the blue flames there were her own bathing her chambers with light.

It was all Zuko's fault.

If it wasn't for his schemes, Ty Lee would be all right, and still by her side. Mai would know her place and Father would know she was his worthy child.

Zuko ruined everything.

She wanted to bring glory to her nation, and lost everything for it, but not anymore.

Never again.

Never again.

Never again.

And yet, in her dream Mai sent her a accusing glare on her own, Mai betrayed her on her own and walked away from her. Because she was just as bad as her brother and she would feel the cold rage melting inside her like boiling water, and then Ty Lee would scream, and instead of rage, her fire would burn out, and turn into smoke between her fingers. A scream that made something alien and ugly rear it's head like a wounded Tygerdillo.

Idly, she stood up, walked to her vanity and the jar of water to sate her thirst. Letting the cup fall to the floor, her eyes lingered on the mirror, the moonlight allowing her to view herself and it wasn't perfection that she saw. Before her was just a girl, afraid and confused, unkempt for all to see. Something she had worked hard to destroy all her life,was now staring her in the face. _It wasn't my fault._ She thought, but the broken girl was still there.

"It wasn't my fault!"

"Azula…" The whisper flashed before her eyes with a shadow, but when she turned around, her room was still empty and messy. She hadn't bothered to clean anything these days, and servants would all scurry away with a one look from her.

For a moment she was afraid an intruder was there to get rid of her, that finally, her usefulness had ended, but then the ghost of her name returned, and this time she found a Princess in the mirror, perfect in every way, from the neatly brushed hair to those golden royalty eyes, but when she blinked, the became a woman, taller, sad, and distant. A Fire Lady. Immediately, fire burst from her hands and the glass shattered with a scream. Azula watched the shards for a moment, wary of any surprises, but the woman was gone now. Closing her hands, she forced them to stop shaking, because she knew it couldn't be true, her mind was playing a game with her, that was all. It was not possible that that could be real, or maybe it was, and she had been with Zuko all this time.

Maybe.

Maybe.

Maybe she…

The knock burst her from her muses, and she remained on a fighting stance long after the sound faded from existence. Heaving, wondering if she should throw lightning towards whatever stranger was there, she still kept her chi at boiling point. The silenced stretched itself, until she felt her muscles aching from the stillness, and finally, she decided to take a peak. When her door was open, what she found was a small folded note, the red wax glaring at her from the last time she had seen it.

It had been long ago when a young prince begged for her help.

* * *

The mirror showed his image clearly, the image of a young man with nothing of what he remembered of his body. The face was something he saw only in portraits and statues, the hands were strong and smooth, and his midriff, well, gone was the belly he gained from bureaucratic work. Despite how uncomfortable the discrepancy felt, Zuko tried going for a grin, but it looked horrible and unnatural on his scarred face, he went for a smile instead.

It did feel more friendly.

"Hi… Zuko here" He said to his reflection, suppressing a wince. "Huh, so… I know this is weird, but… you see, I'm not bad, like before, I'm good… You don't believe me? Well actually we're pretty good friends, not now, but in the future. Yes, you heard that right, I've come from the future and you guys are my best friends… Crazy am I right?"

He kept smiling, slowly realizing this was not the smile of a peaceful old man but the uncomfortable smile of a teen. He groaned.

"I thought it was painful too"

His heart stopped for a beat as he turned around to find Suki leaning against the door, arms crossed and a smirk plastered to her face. She was clearly enjoying herself.

"How long have you been there?"

"Ever since the 'Zuko here' part." She said making a rather poor impression of his voice. "Honestly, I heard stories about your embarrassing first attempt before, but watching was something else."

"You've watched me practicing speeches before"

"After I wrote them for you" She entered the room swiftly. The chambers had belonged to some high officer and they were fairly big, with lanterns spread around the walls to keep everything lit. Her fingers moved through his hair, brushing it away from his eyes. "Honestly honey, and I tell you this with all the love of my heart, you suck at this. You do a lot better when you speak from the heart, remember?"

Zuko sighed. "I know, it's just that I'm so nervous. I mean, it was hard getting them to trust me the first time, and now everything is different. I'm not sure I'm that lucky"

"You don't need to be lucky you silly, you just need to be yourself and let them know you" he felt her fingers moving over his scar, and relaxed under her touch, watching her eyes turning violet under the warm light. "Besides, you have a lot more in your favor this time. You didn't send Combustion Man after them, you have information about the Fire Nation and you freed the Kyoshi Warriors from prison… And you have me, and I like to think my words count for something"

"You're right"

"And what is new?"

He chuckled, his hands automatically going for her shoulders. He wanted to kiss her, for real now, but when she turned away he felt an alarm sent through his core.

"Sokka?" He asked softly, watching her almost shy nod.

"I know this is silly, but still, I can't help it. He is technically my sort of boyfriend right now and I don't want to do anything without letting him know" She explained. "Does that make sense?"

"It does" he said. "I broke up with Mai as soon as I could and I didn't even know if she would join us or not at the time"

Her smile was weary. "That was risky"

"It was, but I couldn't do that to her as well. I know what you're going through"

Suki let out a short bitter laugh at his words, one that was familiar and yet a memory in such a young voice. "Look at us, a married old couple trying to navigate the tangled mess of teen love. Agni, there must be a joke in there somewhere."

Zuko's smile was painful now, the memory of their private life with his hormones was inconvenient, to say the least. Already he had a few dreams of her naked skin under his touch, and the music of her voice moaning in pleasure. Already, he had dreams of been tied up with her face over him, red hair spilling all around them and... Well, it was fair to say he was having a hard time. He started wondering if Suki was having similar issues and was glad when a knock came to the door. "Prince Zuko, we're seeing the island."

"Very well, tell General Jee to handle the landing, he knows what to do."

"Right away sir"

"So, just us first?" Suki asked as they walked outside, her hand brushing against his.

"It's for the best I think."

She nodded, perking up. "Well, anyway you look at it, I'm sure we'll laugh about it someday."

* * *

Katara smiled to herself as she finished unloading Appa, taking their supplies and her sleeping bag out of their friend. The sky bison had been flying the whole day to bring them here, and he deserved a good rest as soon as they settled down. Barely aware of her friends helping around, she looked over the woods where they had landed. It seemed peaceful enough, although it hardly could be any different. Even at night, she had seen the island was rather small, and according to Sokka, there were no villages around.

"Okay gang, let's move, as soon as we find a place to camp, we can rest." Sokka said, moving to the edge of the woods. They walked all the way down a high cliff, until they were standing in an open field, with a herd of koala-sheep sleeping over the grass. "This is it, the official rendezvous point for the invasion force."

"How did you pick this place?" Toph asked.

"Before we split up, my dad and I found this island on a map. It's uninhabited and the harbor surrounded by the cliffs seemed like the perfect secluded place."

Katara smiled, as she untangled her hair, it was perfect. "Nice choice Sokka, and we're here four days ahead of schedule."

"Wait?! Four days?!" She turned, surprised at Aang's sudden outburst. "The invasion is in four days?"

"Whatever, that is like… four days from now. Let's just calm down and..."

Katara watched her brother falling down on the ground and immediately fall asleep. Amused, she looked at her friend, eager herself to close her eyes. "Sokka's got the right idea Aang. We're here, we're ready. The best thing we can do now is get plenty of..."

"Someone is coming!" Toph shouted, bouncing to her feet.

Having been used to trouble at any time their group was pretty much conditioned into quick action and Katara immediately went for her water bag, feeling the air dislodging around her as Aang jumped ahead. A yelp later and she knew Toph had taken care to wake up Sokka, her brother clumsily moving to his feet from atop of a new crater.

"What, what is it? What!?"

"Shut it meat head, we've got company."

Her heart beating like a war drum, Katara frowned towards the darkness as she tried to see beyond their small formation. While the moonlight was too faint to see clearly, the open field gave her plenty of a view. "I thought this Island was uninhabited, Sokka"

"It was supposed to be, maybe it's just a traveler or a crazy hermit or something."

"I can feel two people." Toph said.

"All right, one of each then."

"Whoever is out there, tell us who you are!" Aang shouted, standing in front of them, while Momo jumped over his shoulder. Behind them Appa snored, but even Katara heard the next movement, a confusion of breaking twigs and branches being shoved aside, coming from the tree line. She took a deep breath, feeling her chi connecting to the water when...

"Wait, don't attack! We're friends!"

Katara saw her brother perking up all of the sudden, and her own eyes narrowed as she tried to remember where she heard that voice before. She didn't have to question it further, because soon enough she saw a young woman stepping out in the open, carrying a torch that flickered against the wind and brushed against scarlet clothes. At the sight of the color, her first instinct was to brace herself for an attack, but then her brother was running ahead of their formation without any thought. "Suki!" he shouted easing her heart.

Immediately, Katara felt her shoulders relaxing, both Aang and Toph sighing as her brother brought the Kyoshi Warrior into a hug.

"Hey guys, it's good to see you" The girl said over her brother's shoulder. In the shadows, it was hard to tell, but Katara managed to see her smiling.

"Suki, what are you doing here?" Aang said as the girl stepped among them.

"I was looking for you guys actually" She looked around. "Can we build a fire? We really should talk."

"I'm on it!" Sokka was saying before Toph stopped him.

"Wait a minute there, dunderhead! I'm pretty sure I felt two people. Suki, who is that with you?" As Katara scooted closer, she could distinctively see a hooded figure a few steps back, away from the torchlight.

"Well, he is a friend, and he is kind of what we need to talk about. Please just be patient." Suki told them, her blue eyes pleading under the fire's light, and at that Katara felt a prickle of suspicion running up her spine. It was not that she didn't trust Suki, but for her to be so cryptic, something had to be wrong. Just in case, she kept her eye on the stranger as the others put a fire together, quickly making a circle of light around their small camp. All the time, her brother still grinned and the stranger still kept his distance.

"It's great that you're here, Suki, and just in time, you won't guess what we're planning to do." Sokka was saying, to which the girl smiled weakly in response.

"It is great to see all of you, I really missed you guys."

"I bet you missed these better..." Katara watched her brother going for a kiss, and then, immediately Suki looked away over the group, her brother landing his lips on her cheek. Toph laughed.

"Huh… So, Suki, how are you doing?" Aang asked, scratching his head.

"Oh, I've been hanging around in a prison, got out, broke into a second prison, same old same old." Suki said rubbing the back of her head, where a golden lace held her hair back. Looking closely, Katara realized those clothes were rather well made, the outer tunic especially seemed to be trimmed with gold. "After that, I came looking for you guys"

"For us?"

"But how?" Katara frowned. "Everyone thinks Aang is dead, and we just got here."

"Yeah, you can't say you were waiting on this island for us to show up." Toph said skeptically.

"Oh, cut it out guys, obviously she met someone from the invasion force who told her we would be here! Isn't that right?" Sokka said reassuringly, but Suki sighed and shook her head.

"No, I mean, I was hoping you guys would be here, but no, I didn't hear it from the invasion force." She said quickly as Katara watched her fidgeting with her fingers. "I came here another way. I knew about the invasion and I looked over a map, I tried to think what place would Sokka choose to be a starting point and, well, it worked."

"Nice"

"Then you decided to come here with your friend?" Katara questioned carefully, becoming the target of Suki's bright blue eyes, holding such a determination that she was taken aback for a moment.

"Yes, my friend see, he is..." Her voice trailed off as a huge mass of fur rose from slumber at their side. Appa opened his mouth in a loud yawn, making Aang laugh as the wind tickled him. The huge sky bison looked over the awaken humans with interest, spotting the familiar face.

Suki smiled. "Hi Appa"

The bison strode over, sniffing at Suki - who giggled - quickly and approvingly, before his eyes darted towards the darkness. Katara saw the hooded strange stop short and in a moment Appa was walking his way. Katara watched him trying to step back, but he was too late, and she was caught off guard when the bison's gigantic tongue reached out, licking the stranger head to toe. A man's groan echoed all over the field, cursing at the distance and Katara froze.

"No, not him!"

"Katara?" Aang questioned her, but she was already stepping forward. She could still remember her pity, her compassion shining through as his sad eyes told her about his mother. She had thought he had changed, but he didn't. She could still see his eyes of pure decision, attacking her and Aang in the catacombs, and then the weight of Aang's body on her arms.

She felt the fury coming, powerful now before a shape suddenly stepped in front of her.

"Katara, wait!"

"No, Suki, what did you do? What were you thinking bringing him here?" She told the woman she thought was a friend. Clearly, she was mistaken, this was not a level headed decision she would expect from a Kyoshi Warrior.

"Who? Katara who is he?" Sokka was asking, looking over the stranger, now moving away from Appa, who was drowsing again.

"If Appa likes him, he might not be that bad" Aang reasoned.

But Katara was staring at Suki, hard and questioning, blue eyes against blue eyes, and yet something on the other girl refused to give in and suddenly Katara caught herself stepping back. A beat later, Suki made a motion with her hands and slowly the stranger approached them, lowering his hood as he stepped into the light. She heard the gasps from Aang and her brother right away, both moving to her side, weapons and stances at ready. Toph did the same, both palms turned inside in front of her body as the Fire Prince's face dared to smiled their way.

Suki licked her lips as the air grew tense. "So, guys, huh... Zuko is here."


	13. Chapter 13

**FIGHT NIGHT  
**

* * *

"What is he doing here?" Katara questioned as soon as the silence became all too encompassing. From her side, Suki swore she could hear Zuko gulping and she had to agree. It was truly a tragic picture, team avatar all together on one side, she and Zuko on the other with the fire spilling embers between them.

"He came here with me" She explained calmly.

"Well, we can see that" Sokka said.

"Huh… Look" Zuko started after a pause, his hands spread by his side, nonthreatening. "I know you must be surprised to see me."

"Not really since you followed us all over the world!"

A beat passed them by in which she saw the wavering of Zuko's stance, her own words felt like mud coming out of her mouth as she became torn between being Fire Lady Suki or Suki, the friend. Rubbing her eyes, she opted for the later.

"Guys look, I know you have many grievances against Zuko."

"Many, would be cutting short." Katara interrupted, to which Sokka suddenly brought his fingers up one at the time.

"Let's see if I remember well, he almost killed us, plenty of times, he burned down your island, he had us chased by pirates, bounty hunters." An accusing finger was pointed at Zuko. "Everything you ever did was try to hunt us down and capture Aang."

"I know! I know what I did was wrong."

"Do you!?" Katara screamed her lungs out now, and all-around Suki felt the air growing dry. "You have no idea! You have no idea what you've done to us!"

"I know what I did!" Zuko exclaimed, stepping forward and falling to his knees. "I know what I did. I fought for the Fire Nation, I fought to end the world's last hope, to subjugate innocent people and bring more pain and suffering. My actions caused harm that I can't even imagine, to bodies and souls alike, but I can't change that, I can only make it up for it as best as I can. That is why I want to join you."

At the end of his world, the emotion thick in his voice, Suki had to beat down on her lip. She knew then that Zuko had decided on being himself, on laying everything to their friends to judge him as they wished. It was an humbling experience to say the least, and, for a long while, there was only the beat of her heart, heavy and nervous, to fill her ears. The night whispered a silent breeze. Appa breathed in and out, blinking at them.

"What?" Toph shouted, clearly surprised.

"You've got to be..."

But Sokka stopped short because Zuko had gotten way too close, and the tongue of a bison suddenly moved to lick him toe to head once more. _Oh Appa, I could kiss you now_. Suki thought, giggling at the sight of his straight-up hair, the tension draining from her bones, completely unintentional.

"You are enjoying this" Zuko accused her.

"S-sorry..." She said. His hair was so ridiculous, she was almost sad to see him fixing it.

"Suki?" She looked over, and of course, now they suddenly remembered she was there, each stare a question, each set of eyes a suspicion. Composing herself, the warrior did her best to push her guilt away as she stared at Sokka, and then the others.

"Zuko helped me, I know how deep he must've hurt you guys, but it doesn't change the fact that he is here now. He deserted the Fire Nation, he committed treason for all to see." She stopped, licking her lips and smiling as the Flying Bison now allowed Zuko to pet his nose. "He saved Appa too."

"Appa does seem to like him." Toph pointed out.

"He is probably covered in honey or something!" Sokka complained, Suki sighed.

"I know this all seems crazy, believe me, but he needs to be in this group and you guys need him too."

"No we don't! We have everything we need right here."

"Sokka, you can't defeat the Fire Lord without Zuko."

"Yeah, well, we'll see about that."

"The Invasion plan won't work" Zuko spoke grievously, and for a moment Suki wondered if it might be a mistake to reveal something like that so soon, but she understood his reasoning. Sometimes the only way to give bad news was to simply give them. "My father already knows about it. Azula heard it straight from King Kuei's mouth when she was in Ba Sing Se, you're expected."

Her heart broke as she watched their faces changing, from angry and confused to something akin to despair. She saw it in Aang most of all as his brow furrowed and his gaze fell to the ground. Suki couldn't remember the last time he looked his age that much.

"So that is it? You came here to tell us how much we need you just because our plan has gone south?"

"No" Still on his knees, her husband touched his head to the grass, his voice though, was still clear and loud. "Please, I know this isn't right. I know I made the wrong choice in Ba Sing Se, but I want to help you, I want to help you restore balance to my country and the world."

Suki watched Aang tun to Zuko, his eyes searching for something in the Fire Prince's eyes. She was praying now for that Avatar wisdom to show up, and, suddenly, it did as the kid met her eyes.

"Suki, why are you with Zuko? He burned Kyoshi Island, remember?"

"Of course I remember" She was an old woman these days, and the memory held now a levity, a joke she used so the Fire Lord would kneel and use his tongue to give her pleasure. She never forgot his apology when he visited her village though, his regret and sorrow thick in his voice as he sought to make amends. "He took me out of prison, and he helped me rescue the other Kyoshi Warriors. He has pledged his men, and himself to see to the end of the war, and I believe him. As far as I'm concerned whatever debts he has to Kyoshi are paid."

To her utter relief, she watched Aang's lips actually forming into a thoughtful smile, that was when Sokka caught on to something.

"Wait a minute, the other Kyoshi Warriors are here with you?"

"Yes, and a small crew of trustworthy people. We had to hide because we were afraid you would leave if you saw us"

"Wait another minute!" Sokka jumped, sword at ready. "You mean there is a whole Fire Nation crew sneaking up on us while we're talking?"

"Oh please, no one sneaks up on me" Toph bragged, Suki was glad.

"They are allies" She pressed. "They are all willing to work against the Fire Lord, as is Zuko." Expressions soured all around her and years of dealing with politicians and noblemen instantly told Suki that they wouldn't accomplish anything today. Grievances here were too fresh, the scars too deep, this needed time. _Maybe we should have waited until morning._ Looking over her friends she chose her words carefully. "Listen, this isn't going anywhere, why don't we go to sleep? I mean, tomorrow, with a clear head we can come back to this… Right?"

Sokka narrowed his eyes. "No way we're going to sleep with a Fire Nation ship nearby,"

"They won't harm you, we're safe here" She answered. "Please, trust me,"

She knew she said it right when they all sat down, Aang still seeming thoughtful, blinking his eyes as if to stay awake. "Suki has a point I think, what do you guys say?"

"Fine" Katara agreed, glaring at Zuko. "But I'm not sleeping close to him"

"It's okay, I can go back to the ship and come back in the morning" Suki bit her lip and looked down.

To anyone else it would seem he was a composed Fire Prince, but with so much practice, Suki could see the telltale signs of his hurt. She could guess why that was. Katara and Toph were both last seen charging into battle, Sokka and Aang were ghosts, dead friends whose presence was but a memory, and to be there, and not feel the bond bringing them closer and smiling, it hurt more than she could have guessed. It was only the mission after all that kept the Kyoshi Warrior composed, it was the mission that stayed her feet and stilled her resolve. It was the thought of her family that kept her tears at bay. Now, at this point, they were friends, Zuko an enemy. She knew, it was ten times worse to see them and be rejected. When he turned around, she could see the gathered tears threatening to spill from his eyes and her body seemed to move on its own.

In hindsight, she should have held herself back, but she couldn't help it. As Zuko went to pass by her she reached out, taking his hand in a gentle squeeze.

He smiled and then he left.

"What the heck!?" She sighed. "Suki, really are you mad? Has he gotten something on you? Is he threatening the other Kyoshi Warriors?"

"That didn't seem like something someone under threat would do meathead" Toph said sitting over her blanket.

Suki nodded, watching over her friends. Katara clearly was the most wound up, with Sokka a close second. Aang however, was staring into the fire and she wondered if the kid would get any sleep at all that night.

"We should probably leave before he comes back, you know. We take Suki, find the Invasion force and warn them this island is not safe." Sokka was saying thoughtfully. "We could work on a plan to rescue the Kyoshi Warriors together."

"So you're not waiting for him to come back?" Toph asked.

"What is there to wait, just because he says he is sorry, doesn't mean we won't get burned." His eyes moved over to her. "Suki, you didn't buy that, did you?"

Suki dropped her bundled blanket to make a pillow and closed her eyes. "Zuko wasn't lying."

Everyone glanced over the earth bender who nodded. "She is right, he didn't lie, none of them"

"Aang..." She called out, the boy exchanged a look with the rest of his friends. She could see Sokka shaking his head, Katara's severe eyes as the boy looked down.

"I have a confession to make, remember when you two got sick and Zhao captured me?"

Sokka almost jumped at the mention. "And you made us suck on frozen frogs? How could I forget? I had a wart on the flap that hangs down from the back of my throat for a month!"

Katara sighed. "Sokka, I looked at it, and I told you, there was nothing there!"

"I could feel it! It's my throatal flap!"

Aang shook his head, smiling. "Anyway, when Zhao had me chained up, it was Zuko who came in and got me out. He risked his life to save me."

"No way! I'm sure he only did it so he could capture you himself!" _No way to argue with that_, thought Suki.

Aang sighed. "You're probably right."

Katara huffed. "And what about all that crazy stuff about setting Appa free? What a liar!"

"I told you guys, no one lied." Toph reminded them.

"Oh, hooray! In a lifetime of evil, at least he didn't add animal cruelty to the list."

"I'm just saying that, while he was talking to us, he was sincere." The small girl poked inside her nose, falling back to the ground. "Considering his messed-up family and how he was raised, he could have turned out a lot worse."

"You're right Toph! Let's go find him and give him a medal. The "not as much of a jerk as you could have been" award!"

"All I know is that I believed him and Suki. Maybe you're all just letting your hurt feelings keep you from thinking clearly."

"Easy for you to say! You weren't there when he had us attacked by pirates!"

"Or when he burned down Kyoshi Island! Right, Suki? Suki?"

She felt their eyes on her back and slowly turned around from where she was already lying down. "Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

"Going to sleep." She watched them gently, wavering a little a how much they reminded her of children. As their friend, she wouldn't trust anyone else with the fate of the world, but as Fire Lady, she couldn't help but feel bothered that the burden had fallen to them in the first place. "I was serious before. You're all tired and stressed, there is no way you can make a decision in that state."

"Yeah, well..." Sokka yawned suddenly, Aang followed. "Maybe you're right, but we need… Someone to..."

"I'll stay up to watch over you guys."

"All right."

It was with an uncomfortable twist in her guts that she felt Sokka plopping down right by her side, mumbling a goodnight before falling asleep. Slowly, the others followed suit, Katara offering one last suspicious gaze her way before lying down.

* * *

The chill of the night was weirdly ineffective on his now young bones, as Zuko weaved his way through the woods. He walked with purpose, not willing to stop and be engulfed by a myriad of feelings that were pieces of a puzzle somewhat completely different.

Ahead of him he could see the shape of the airship stationed down in the clearing, and then the shadows of people waiting for his arrival. Walking down the hill, he slowly came to distinguish his uncle's gray beard and Mai's shape. Fay was the other one, her scowl clear under the torchlight. He couldn't help, but sigh at that, his hand coming up to rub his temples. They would all want to know what happened, even if they didn't ask anything and with that in mind his steps faltered. Of course, the reunion hadn't gone as bad as those flimsy memories told him about, his friends hadn't just lost a massive battle and Suki was there, and yet, he had forgotten this stab he felt when Katara glared at him. He had forgotten how much it hurt, no matter how much he deserved it.

It was his doing after all.

Chuckling, Zuko shook his head. Whatever his jumbled feelings might be, they would have to come later. He would need to deal with them later. Later with everything else, everything that mattered and that he wished, like Izumi's wise eyes, Avani's free grin whenever she was amused by something and Ryo's delight when he produced his first flames.

His steps faltered all of the sudden, his soul wandering into dangerous territory, one of darkness and wanting, a selfish path that would paralyze the body, and then the shiver came, the warning of a warrior overwhelming the grieving father. Immediately, his eyes darted to his surrounds, seeking out the source of the danger. He breathed in and out, feeling his chi running through his body, fueling the flames.

Around him, the night offered no answer, the cicadas kept on singing and the koala-sheep slept soundly across the field. Woods and planes remained the same, while the moon and stars waited. Zuko baited his breath, and turned around.

His hands clenched into fists.

* * *

"WAKE UP!"

Aang jumped from his resting place as soon as the voice cut through his dozing. He hadn't really been sleeping much anyway, and yet the sight of Suki's eyes as she rose the camp, made him suddenly alert.

"What is it? What?" Sokka mumbled.

"Something is happening." Suki said and he followed her gaze all the way to the other side of the small island where he could see burning light twinkling against the night veil.

Aang blinked, uncertain of what he was seeing, barely listening when Suki whispered the Fire Prince's name and burst into a run towards the glow. It took only a moment for Sokka to cry out her name and go after her. When Aang meant to follow, he felt a grip around his arm and met Katara's worried gaze. "What if it's a trap?"

"We can't know for sure" Toph said.

"Sokka and Suki are there though." He argued, seeing the conflict brewing in those warm blue eyes. He knew she was afraid for him, but at the same time he knew Katara would never abandon Suki and Sokka.

"I'll go on Appa, if anything happens, we'll be ready to flee." She explained and Aang nodded quickly as he and Toph moved to pursue.

His steps racing down the hills and plains, Aang slowly breathed in, connecting his energy to the air around him. It would be for the best if he got there first, he wanted to get there first and so he begun exerting his control over the wind, pushing and pulling his limbs while the drowsiness of sleep was taken over by shots of adrenaline, In the blink of an eye, the world became a blur, and he burst past Sokka and through the edge of the forest to find a field raging with battle.

Firebenders were everywhere, and spears and swords were singing under the light of the stars, fire was pushed against moving shadows, burning grass and patches of bushes, and his first instinct was to run away or to strike at those things he so easily perceived as enemies,

"What the hell?!" By his side, he realized Sokka and Toph had arrived, the first gawking at the gigantic structure parked in the middle of the clearing, bathed in orange glow. "That is my war balloon! They stole my design!"

"Seriously? That is what you're worried about?"

"Guys..." It wasn't fire that finally struck at him, but a massive shadow that emerged from the ground, standing on two legs like a huddled platypus-bear, purple eyes and teeth roaring his way.

Before he could move to defend himself, he heard a loud battle cry and Suki was coming down from the treetops, her knee crashing on the shadow's head with a sickening crack. Her fans struck out, slashing and cutting until the shadow roared and stepped back, running away into the darkness. She didn't stop to say anything, a mere glance over her shoulder was all it took before she was diving into battle, kicking another monster away from a firebender clutching his bleeding arm.

For a moment the Avatar shivered, a sudden cold had bloomed inside his guts at that presence, and then he knew he didn't have time to think about it. Snapping out of his uncertainty, Aang jumped forward and sent blasts of air at the monsters. He had no idea what was happening, but he knew the Fire Nation was hardly causing harm in the fray. Behind him, he heard Sokka's war cry and the rumbling of Toph's earthbending, and felt the usual calmness of having his friends backing him up, as it soon became obvious this wouldn't be an easy fight.

He dodged out of the way of claws and teeth, tentacles tried to wrap around him and he jumped out of the way. He blew air left and right, kicks and punches disappearing into massive glowing bodies of dark blue and sick red. He got firebenders out of the way, while Toph helped the spearmen defend the balloon. He saw glimpses of girls in battle formation, shields and swords as they pushed the monsters away, Zuko's uncle breathing fire and Zuko himself fighting back to back with Suki, their movements so in synch that he couldn't tell if they hadn't done this their whole lives. Then he heard Appa's roar as Katara descended to do battle, her water whips clearing a path that gave Aang enough time to breathe.

"You okay?" Sokka panted by his side, and Aang nodded.

Looking around he almost froze. He thought the battle might be over, but it felt like there were more monsters than before. He felt the cold again as well, taking over his body as each presence seemed to glare at him specifically. Anger, he felt anger and fear and rage against shackles, feelings coming from them, and with that realization he understood.

"T-they are spirits!"

"Come again?" Sokka said, throwing his boomerang over the spearmen's heads. "In that case can't you do that 'bridge between worlds' thingy that you do?"

Aang watched one of the shadows struggling to attack Mai, the girl dodging out of the way of the bloodthirsty spirit. "I-I don't know"

"Usually, someone did something to them right? We just have to figure out what they're angry about!"

Sokka was right, of course. Hei Bai had only need to be shown hope, but these spirits felt different, and Aang had no idea if they would even listen. The Fire Nation men were slowly drawing a perimeter around them, Zuko and his uncle's voices blaring orders left and right to keep their defenses up, and Aang knew he had to try anyway. A snake like spirit suddenly broke through the line, and he jumped ahead, his voice sounding shrill to his own ears as he tried to communicate.

"Spirit, tell us why you're angry!" But the snake gave him no heed, and Sokka's boomerang hit it in the head. The spirit hissed, fire hit its face and it recoiled. Zuko kept on the barrage, he and Suki suddenly were at his side, keeping them away and yet Aang could feel the anger rising within him. "Y-you did something, didn't you? Spirits don't do that! What did you do to them?!"

Zuko looked at him over his shoulder, he opened his mouth, but Suki cut through whatever explanation he might give.

"We don't have time for this!"

"I need to know what is wrong so I can..." Her scream hit him hard, like a knife tearing through his soul. He forgot Zuko, he forgot the spirits, he didn't even hear what Sokka had to say, his eyes were only at Katara's form plunging from the sky while Appa was overwhelmed from all sides, by pitch black birds.

With one burst from his airbending Aang was above the line and jumping over the dark spirits, using the wind to move towards Katara. She was using her water to defend herself from the enemies when he slammed into her, falling down and sliding along a curve of frozen water which brought them to the ground. Unbalanced, they tumbled down on a throng of limbs, Aang looking at her where he met a smile.

"Thanks" Her gratitude dissolved when she looked over his shoulder, and the Avatar quickly got up again. They had fallen away from the rest of the group, and were surrounded, by his side Katara had her octopus formation in place and he was ready to bend the earth to push the spirits away when the sky suddenly lit itself on fire.

It wasn't something Aang had ever witnessed before.

It started out fiery and red, angry, and then the fire became a hurricane, showering light all over the island as it morphed into green, blue and a dozen other hues and colors such as he had never seen. The sight alone made Aang lower his guard, it was the most beautiful fire, it pulsed as it transformed, pulsed like a million hearts and souls.

"Aang, look"

He followed Katara's motion to find the spirits equally entranced by the sight. Their eyes changed from purple to soft colors, their shady bodies dissolving into light and animal like forms, trees and strange unique shapes. In the time of a heartbeat the spirits were all calm, and then they were leaving, slowly fazing out of sight, crossing a bridge invisible to the eye.

Inside him, Aang felt the cold vanishing, turning into soft warmth and then, leaving.

"Is it over?"

"I-I..." Aang hesitated, his eyes following the source of the fire, to where Zuko suddenly dropped on Suki's arms. "I don't know."


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks to all the reviews and favorites, they are all apreciate. Sorry if anyone is confused, this is a time travel fanfiction where Suki and ZUko get in their younger bodies, from before the end of the Hundreht year War**

* * *

**All Those Sweet Words We Heard and Said  
**

* * *

They were all lined up in the courtyard, their helmets of shiny dark steel glaring under the sun, while the heavy leather armor, shone with a thin layer of oil, dark and menacing, but not as menacing as the masks. Pale bone carved skulls hid their faces under mystery, leaving to anyone under their gaze to guess the nature of their shape, if whether they were even human.

Walking along the line though, Azula was less than impressed, less so when she caught their gazes behind the mask, and saw them looking away from her. Afraid. It was good they feared her, it meant her reputation wasn't tarnished, it also meant they wouldn't betray her and so, smirking, she climbed a few steps and gazed down upon the men and women in front of her.

"Imperial Firebenders! You are the best our Nation has to offer, the elite, and with that in mind, your role in the coming battle is of utmost importance. You'll be responsible for the personal protection of your Fire Lord, and if any of you are wondering, that means you must lay your lives to rest in his name." She paused, letting her words sink in. "That is your oath, your duty, your sacred motive to be on this earth, and I hope you're all fit for such a greatness."

She turned around, dismissing the assembly with a wave. The firebenders saluted her and, neatly, left the courtyard behind, the sound of their steps diminishing while she turned around to face General Hau and his gray mustache.

"I expect a report on all of our defenses for the day of the eclipse to be delivered to me within the day, am I clear?"

"B-but, princess, the Fire Lord's protection is confident..."

"Am I clear, general?"

She narrowed her eyes, watching the spineless coward gulping before offering her a tight nod in response, his eyes darting to her bandaged hand as if tempted to ask the question, which he never did. Feeling satisfaction coil inside her, Azula walked away to the rest of her duties. It was always pleasant to know her power was still intact, even after losing Zuko, her position was still strong, and people still feared her discontent.

Behind her, she felt her personal protection following her, their steps were almost silent, but her instincts were well attuned to the presence of others.

"How are our preparations, Captain?"

Daruka had been the first men in the Earth Kingdom to ever show loyalty to her instead of Long Fen. That of course, didn't mean anything as far as she was concerned, if his loyalty could be bent, than how long until he turned on her as well?

"The Dai Li is yours to command, princess. Twenty of our best men are now working in your personal bunker."

"Good, and my father?"

He fidget, but answered anyway. "The Fire Lord has not left his personal chambers since the last meeting, Princess."

"Has he called on the Yuan Archers?"

"Yes." She nodded to herself, her father might not trust her completely anymore, but she wouldn't let that stop her, she wouldn't let him push her aside. "Princess, your hand… If I may..."

"You may not" She paused, feeling the coarse texture between her fingers. "And make sure your second in command brings his report of the night."

Later that day she would be hearing more reports from another captain, and maybe tomorrow she would be talking to a lieutenant. It was all part of the game, keeping them guessing as to who she favored, until they were too distrusting to unite against her. It was the same game played all over the Fire Nation, the game her father had taught her so well when dealing with arrogant nobles and officers.

"You mustn't trust such foolish ideals as your uncle, my daughter." He had told, guiding her along the hallways. "If you wish to rule, then you must make sure no one can stand in your way."

That week, she had watched her father the whole time, watched as he showed favor to a man's rival, and the made comment behind someone's back, insinuations, subtle compliments that would rolled down a slippery slope, the same way a pebble might cause an avalanche.

For the rest of the day, she supervised the garrison, inspected the preparations in the bunker, and by night, she was back in her chambers, looking down upon her bandaged fingers, frowning at the consequences of Zuko's letter and the secrets she had found thanks to it.

Apparently, Fire Lord Sozin hadn't let anyone stand in his way either, he had stood up to his childhood friend and let him drown in molten lava. Fire Lord Sozin started an Empire, he was feared, revered and… And Azula could only think of those words Zuko wrote on the first lines of his message.

_Ty Lee is all right._

Biting her lip, the princess slowly peeled the bandage away, and glanced down at the paste. She had taken it from the royal healer, after a carefully and clearly worded threat that would keep his mouth shut for the rest of his days. She slowly let the mix of herbs touch the puckered pink skin of her palms, wondering if Zuko did the same once, if he spent his night applying a similar medicine and hoped his appearance would actually recover.

She ignored the mirror of course, it was broken and she had no wish to repair it. Still, she risked a glance at shards that still littered the floor, a distant whisper making her look away, afraid and ashamed. Working dutifully, she cleaned the wound and wrapped it again, moving her fingers to make sure the dressing wouldn't get in the way of her movements.

_Ty Lee is all right._

She thought about both her great grandparents, about the Avatar and the Fire Lord, and thought about everything she had ever believed, and wondered if she could ever leave Ty Lee or Mai to die like that. They had betrayed her, they had forced her eyes to sting, and yet she couldn't really phantom the idea of abandoning them to molten lava.

_Ty lee is all right._

She remembered the night she had the impulse of sinking her hand into the burning coals of her fireplace without the protection of her chi, and how, after a wave of sick thoughts burning through her, she had actually done it.

* * *

It was with a sudden ache to his joints that Zuko came back to consciousness, blinking away the pressure behind his eyes at the feeling of something heavy moving atop of him. Idly, the young man stared at the ceiling of his chambers, before bringing his eyes down to the smiling young woman lying over him.

"Suki?"

She peeked at him with one fond eye, blinking heavily. "Hey there, how are you doing, honey?"

"I've been better." He spoke, feeling tired and sleepy, his voice sounded rough to his own ears as he fought to sit straight.

Memories of the battle slowly found a space in his mind, from the purple eyes of the dark spirits to his effort in summoning his chi beyond the likes his young body was ready for.

"That was quiet a scare you gave me." His wife said, pouring him a cup of water which he took eagerly. "What were you thinking?"

Zuko shook his head. "I couldn't risk letting any of them escape, someone could get hurt" the spirits had been surrounding them completely at that point, and watching Aang leaping away to help Katara had been the last drop. "Did anyone..."

"Our healer's ward is full, but nothing serious happened." She smirked. "You big hero, you."

"I'm pretty sure you saved my life a couple of times last night." He frowned. "Wait, was it last night? How long was I..."

"It's morning, don't worry, you weren't in a coma or anything."

Zuko sighed in relief, lying back down on his pillow while his eyes lingered on Suki, jumping from the dressings covering her arms to the small dressing covering her cheek. She would have many new scars from that fight and he wondered to what new ones he might have acquired as well. By his side, he felt Suki moving with him, her head once more leaning over his middle, her smile holding a tinge of mirth as they locked gazes.

"What?"

"Your belly" She noticed playfully, and he felt her fingers nudging his gut. "Your Fire Lord belly is gone, now I'm out of a pillow."

The heat that he felt pooling on his cheeks had nothing to do with his firebending. "You miss my belly?"

"Of course." She giggled. "It was all squish and comfortable."

He shook his head. "I bet you don't feel the same about yours, what was it that you used to say? 'Zuko, we really need to take more time for ourselves, look, I'm getting huge...'"

Her hand hit his shoulder with enough strength to make him stop, and he laughed at her face. "I do not sound like that."

"You do too."

"Idiot."

He could barely hold his laugh when she snickered down at him, and for a moment he let himself be back to those lazy summer days after retirement, when the mornings would stretch out into afternoons and they still wouldn't leave their bed. They had been old then, but their love making never ceased from being passionate, pleasuring one another with hands and mouths, in all the places that felt good. He felt Suki leaning back down, and on an impulse he let his hands run through her hair, the soft threads of red feeling amazing through his fingers.

"It's so strange, I look at myself in the mirror and I don't recognize anything, there are no stretch marks from Izumi, no scars from assassination attempts, no wrinkled skin, nothing." Zuko smiled, slowly nodding his head. He could understand what she was saying, but wasn't expecting what she said next. "I think we should tell them."

"What?"

And just like that, the peace was gone, and he felt his mind moving back to the matters at hand with the sharp experience of a lifetime. In front of him, Suki was doing the same, her features locked in her Fire Lady's face as he liked to call it, her determination and certainty pulsing like the fires of Agni.

"I think there is no advantage in keeping our situation a secret anymore. I know we wanted to ease them into it, but given the actual circumstances, keeping our friends in the dark might actually put them in danger."

"They had no idea what they were fighting." Zuko and Suki were not counting on actually having to deal with such a threat at this time. In his memories Korra alone could turn whole battles around with her experience handling spirits, but last night Aang could barely keep them away from himself. He was still young, and he had so much to learn. "You think he might have followed us, somehow?"

"I dunno, but the facts remain that our mission won't be as easy as we hoped. Whatever that stupid owl knows about time travel, he must have noticed our interference, either that or a part of Unalaq is trying to defend itself with some freaky spiritual skill."

"Both of those are sound amazing." Zuko rubbed his eyes and Suki shifted by his side.

"There is also the fact that you just made dragon fire. I'm not sure about you, but I think they might have noticed it."

He nodded again, sharing yet another tired smile.

He would've loved to go back to sleep, maybe wait a day or two before tackling everything head on, but he knew better. At first he remembered how tempted he was to keep things as they were, to follow the moves of history without a second thought, that was until he remembered the lives lost in coming battles, both in the Day of Black Sun as in the rising rebellion in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko had decided very early that he couldn't just watch, and although he and Suki had practiced caution, hoping to end the war before tackling the future, things were now escaping their own grasp of the reality. The rules were changing.

"You're right."

"I'm always right."

He shook his head, leaning his head on her shoulder, as they squeezed themselves in the tiny bed. She smelled of sweaty and healing herb, and something Suki that he never could quite place.

"So, we tell them everything, then what?"

"Tell what to who?" They were both startled as they turned around to find Iroh entering the chamber, a tray with tea steaming in his hands. "Are you speaking about your little time traveling act?"

A beat was all it took for Suki to understand what his uncle was saying. "You told him!"

"Huh, well." He pulled at his sheets. He knew Suki wasn't really mad at him, but her narrowing eyes made him hesitate. "Look, it seemed like a good idea, I was going to tell you, but… well..."

"What my nephew is trying to say is that he thought I might be of help, and more likely to believe his words. Of course, his delay in informing you is a mystery to me."

Suki was pursing her own lips now. "I was going to tell you! But we arrived so fast, and we were talking about, you know? Sokka and Mai and that whole mess and… It kind of slipped from my mind, I swear."

From the corner of his eye he caught his uncle trying to hold back his laugh, something he was never good at. Or maybe he simply had too much fun to try and hide it. Either way, the old man finally decided to be of help.

"For what is worth, my first impression of you is of a very talented and amazing woman, Suki, I'm glad to have you in the family."

She gave his uncle a fond smile as she accepted a cup of tea. "Thanks, General."

"Iroh, please.

"Iroh" Zuko almost felt like reliving a play for the second time, until Suki remembered he was there. "As for you, this might come around later."

He didn't detect any real anger in her voice, and he was confident that after so many years, he could read his wife quite well. He did however felt her hand sneaking under the blanket to pinch his butt, immediately sending blood to all the wrong places.

"Uncle!" He shouted, startled not only by her actions, but by the flood of heat. _Damn this body._ He hoped his uncle was too busy to notice anything. "Suki and I decided to tell them about everything."

"Interesting." Zuko took a cup of tea for himself, avoiding meeting their eyes. He knew Suki must be looking very smug at that point. "Well, they've been quite agitated to be here, and I suppose that last night didn't do you any favors in gaining their trust. That was was very beautiful demonstration of dragon fire, by the way, Prince Zuko."

"T-thanks" Something warm and far more innocent put heat in his face this time. "Sadly, in our time we grew quite used to purifying spirits."

His uncle served himself some tea, sipping quietly from the cup."I see."

"How are Aang and the others by the way?" Suki questioned.

"For now, they are all resting in a camp outside, although they trust me well enough, they still seem on edge to be surrounded by fire nation soldiers."

"Can't really blame them." Suki leaned over. "Do you think you could come along? Maybe, let them know you believe us?"

"But of course! I can also make some tea for the occasion." He rubbed his chin, and Zuko could already see the gears turning in his head. "I shall have some jasmine tea prepared. The men were kind enough to bring some from Ember Island and jasmine is always helpful in bringing peace to a conversation."

* * *

Sokka grunted, scowling down at nothing as he took a bite out of his komodo chicken, stupid, delicious and from the Fire Nation. Just great. He wasn't even hungry, they had their own supplies, there was no need to accept stupid Fire Nation chicken from stupid fire nation soldiers with their stupid fire nation balloon.

Being reminded of it, he suddenly found that yes, he did have somewhere to scowl towards. The balloon. His design, stolen. One of the things he had been proudest of and now there it was, in fire nation hands, armored and huge, full of propellers and firebenders.

_Great._

He took another bite of his fire nation chicken and grunted again.

"Will you stop that!" Toph snapped and he blinked in her direction. She seen really annoyed, munching on her rice. Fire nation rice.

"What did I do?"

"Noises! Annoying noises, so just stop!"

"I'm not making any noises" He said, chewing and making more noises.

"I'm serious, meathead."

"Don't you need noises to see and stuff?" He complained, watching Toph's eye twitching, but he finally had an opportunity to let out his frustration. "Besides, are you really telling me nothing about this situation annoys you?"

From his right, he heard Katara letting out a long suffering sigh, seeming as tired as he felt with the little sleep they had last night. Interruptions, old enemies appearing out of nowhere, then the battle with those freaky spirit monster. Fantastic. Just great. As if planning an invasion wasn't enough.

"Of course we don't like this any better than you Sokka, but for now, this is our best option. Suki promised us answers, remember?"

Oh, he remembered all right. He remembered his girlfriend carrying Zuko in her arms while giving out orders like it was nothing, he also remembered how unreal it was to see all those grown men in fire nation armor moving to obey. It was crazy, it was down right insane, but he would've been okay with it. Of course he would. Who doesn't like having a girlfriend controlling your enemy's army like that? The problem was the way she disappeared inside with barely a word beyond a promise to see them today.

"Yeah, yeah, I get that, and I trust Suki, and I'm glad the other Kyoshi Warriors are here. I just feel like pointing out that they are working with the Fire Nation!" He said, gesturing to another part of the field where a Kyoshi Warrior was helping repair the airship. "No offense!"

"None taken!"

"Sokka, do you think I like this?" Katara's eyes were just like his own, ocean blue, the way you would find when the waters were clear and bright. This time though, he was slightly reminded of a angry tide brushing over the coast.

He looked down. "No."

"The best thing we can do now, is to figure out what is happening. We can't afford to rush anything as much as we might wish it."

It was Katara speaking, but Sokka heard Aang's words in there too. Those two seemed somehow really close lately, or maybe it was the fact that two almost died. Again. Great. From his side, Toph finished a cup of juice and burped.

"Honestly, I don't know what the problem is. Zuko's uncle is with us, and he literally sacrificed himself to let Katara and Aang escape once, remember? Besides, if anything happens I'm pretty sure we can take them down."

"I don't know." Aang said for the first time, on his shoulder Momo chirped, earning a piece of some fire nation fruit. "Did you guys see what Zuko did last night? I never saw firebending like that before."

"Me neither."

Sokka glared at Toph's smirk, before turning to Aang. "So what, what is so special about a bunch of colors anyway?"

"It wasn't just the colors Sokka, did you forget all those spirits last night?" Katara blinked, looking back at Appa who still bore a huge gash to his side. "They would've killed us!"

"No they wouldn't, Aang would've pulled one of those crazy Avatar stunts and everything would be fine."

"I-I don't know about that."

Sokka frowned, taking in the airbender in front of him. He was used to see Aang feeling down about something or other, but never before he remembered seeing him this hesitant. "Well, we can agree to disagree then."

"Hello."

Toph's compliment almost made Sokka jump, startled to find Zuko's uncle smiling down at them.

"Hello to you as well, I was wondering if you and your friends would agree to have some tea after your meal. It would also be an opportunity for, what I judge, will be some important conversations."

In a moment they were all on their feet, both eager to follow and weary to follow Iroh's inside the airship. Exchanging a look with his friends, Sokka slowly moved his feet ahead, and into the belly of the beast. Inside, it was like being again in the Mechanist's dwelling, with metal walls and floor, pipes running up and down and rooms that seemed to whirl with the music of some mysterious mechanics.

"This is so amazing!" He caught Katara's jaded stare and backtracked. "I mean, those thieves!"

Zuko was waiting for them inside his room, still in bed-rest. Suki was sitting by his side, her face revealing nothing, almost like the girl he had met before, so confident and open, was gone. He wondered at that, he wondered about a night of a kiss and warmth and so much more, to a point that he almost didn't notice the two other presences inside the room, but sure enough, Ty Lee and Mai were both there, seeming as unsure as he felt.

"Easy boomerang guy, they are friends" Suki exclaimed, and Sokka realized he had his weapon at a ready.

"And how do you know that?"

"She obviously does." Toph said walking past him and finding a chair that she promptly used to rise her dirty feet over the sheets. "Hello there, name's Toph, I kicked your butts once or twice."

Mai narrowed her gaze, but Ty Lee smiled. "Hi Toph, I'm Ty Lee, I kicked yours and your friends' butts too."

It should come as no surprise that Toph laughed out loud at that point. "Good one, but I wouldn't brag about those guys, they loose all the time."

Sokka frowned. "What is that suppose to mean?"

"She might be talking about how you get capture a lot." Suki said, smirking.

"Not all the time!"

"I captured you guys some times, and I was horrible at it" Zuko interrupted, and Sokka had to blink, wondering if that was really a joke that he heard there, and if it was all that good considering Toph, Aang and Suki all laughed at it.

"Oh, well, remind me again, who got captured by Azula?" He stared straight at Suki, but she just kept laughing and suddenly his come back sounded a lot better in his head.

"Sorry..." Suki managed through giggles. "I just, I really missed you."

Whatever he wanted to say, suddenly rolled back down his throat. Suki had only just been to prison, it shouldn't strike him so hard, the way she sounded so… Wistful.

"Sorry to interrupt the fun, but there is a reason we came here." Katara said, cutting to the chase, and looking at Suki. "You made some promises."

"And we need to know about those spirits, it looked like you two knew what that was about." Aang followed, indicating he wasn't about to budge.

In front of him, Zuko and Suki shared one brief look.

"Uncle, would you please close the door?"

* * *

**One more chapter, please read and review.**


	15. Chapter 15

**ECHOES**

* * *

Suki lingered on the ramp of the airship, her arms closed around herself as she watched the sun slowly sinking behind the horizon, as if the world itself was tipping into the unknown.

With one more day gone the eclipse was even closer, not that the date held much meaning anymore. Whether they wished or not, Zuko and her were both depending on others to move forward, their plans now becoming a jumbled mess of faith and intention that felt awfully familiar.

It turns out that things weren't as simple as revealing the truth about them and expecting everything to be accepted at once. Their first reaction, when Zuko said the words 'future' and 'time travel' was to laugh. Even Mai managed a skeptical twitch of lips to break through that blank face of hers.

"It is the truth" She had jumped into the conversation after calmly waiting for their reactions to subside. "Zuko and I, we're both from the year one hundredth seventy-eight after the beginning of the war, about seventy-eight years from now."

There was a long pause in the room until Sokka slapped his knee and chuckled. "That is good Suki, really good, wow, you and Angry over there, you almost caught me, I admit it. Now come on, keep it real now."

Reacting to their disbelief had been tough, it was all Suki could do not to rip her own hair out in frustration. "We're telling you the truth. Toph, tell them."

"At least they believe what they're saying." The earthbender supplied, not taking sides.

"If you're saying it and if it's truth, how is that even possible?" Katara questioned, and Suki had been glad for the question, it allowed her mind to get back on track.

"Well, it was all thanks to the Avatar."

"Me?"

"No." Suki added at the young monk's bewilderment. "Your successor, she will be a very talented young woman. After we discovered that time had been tampered with, the plan was to come back and stop it. She managed to bent our spirits so they would regress back to our younger bodies."

"That is amazing!" Aang cried, his enthusiasm bringing a smile to her face. "Does that mean I can do that too? I mean, I could go back and do so much! Right!?"

"You could go back and protect the Earth Kingdom!" Katara suggested.

"Even better, you could go back in time and defeat the Fire Lord while he is still a nosy little twerp!" Sokka put in, and Suki found her words drowned in their musings.

"Wait, so now you believe me?" Suki asked crossing her arms.

"Well, it's crazy Avatar stuff, I'm learning to just roll with it." Sokka said with a shrug. "Think about it, you use your crazy Avatar powers and you could go after Sozin himself…"

"I'm afraid you're all too far ahead of yourselves." The interruption came from Iroh, whose voice seemed able to focus the attention of the room without ever been raised. "This subject is a delicate matter, even under the Spirit World's more malleable rules, messing with time can bring catastrophe."

"What do you mean?" Aang asked.

"Unintentional consequences." Zuko explained, tiredly. "We were warned very early. Sometimes it might seem we're doing something good, but it might cause something bad to happen later. Trust me I know what I am saying, I already tried to help people with… Horrible consequences."

"You mean…" Ty Lee barely spoke, but it was clear she suddenly came to an understanding.

Gingerly, Zuko took her hand in his. "I'm sorry Ty Lee, I tried to bring Azula to our side this time. This war, it didn't end well for her, I tried to protect her from it, show her that she wasn't alone, but in the end, my actions only made her snap at me sooner."

"The same goes for us" Suki explained. "Given our current situation, we can't be sure the war will end in the exact circumstances we remember. We knew exactly what needed to happen, but now, well, any of you could be hit by a stray fire shot, or a spear and we wouldn't know."

"We were only trying to stop the many deaths that the day of the eclipse would bring to both sides, but we never planned on telling you everything until last night."

"You mean those crazy monsters." Toph said.

"Those spirits were clearly a sign of the enemy; after that we couldn't leave you guys in the dark." Suki explained. "We wouldn't risk your lives."

Silence lingered over the occupants, everyone seeming digesting their words, dowsing their hopes. Suki was only glad they seemed to have accepted their story so far.

"If time travel is so dangerous." Mai suddenly said, her eyes coming to rest on Suki, inquiring and demanding. Familiar. "Then, why were you sent back? Who is the enemy?"

And there it was, the terrible truth they had hoped to avoid for as long as possible, or at least until Ozai was gone. Slowly, Suki studied her friends. Katara, whose hatred still burned deep down within her, Sokka, who until now, had seen an end to the war as clear as the shape of his boomerang and Aang, the young Avatar, on whose shoulders she was about to drop an even heavier burden than the balance of the world and the legacy of his people. Toph would be fine.

"We came back, because there was no other option. Because the world was ending." Zuko bluntly clarified.

"We found out some time before, that the Avatar first appeared when a human fused with an ancient spirit of light."

"I… I have a spirit inside of me?" Aang blinked, placing a hand on his chest.

"You do" Suki confirmed, before continuing her story. "Unfortunately, a man figured that out as well, and he found a spirit that was equally powerful. He became an Avatar, but different, dark, deranged. The spirit he fused with hated humans, and so he begun to corrupt other spirits to his will."

"The Earth Kingdom, the South and the North Pole, the Fire Nation, everywhere was overrun by armies of Dark Spirits." Zuko amended. "They tired our defenses piece by piece."

Katara was shaking her head, clearly in denial. "That is madness, there is only one Avatar, everyone knows this."

"There are many things we don't know about the Avatar." Iroh offered, rubbing his chin. "I remember an old legend of an Avatar, whose powers allowed him to bond two souls together so they would always find one another through the ages. That was how our marriage rituals were first created. The fact is that many mysteries were lost through time, for although the Avatar's many lives live within him, it's only natural that not all voices can be reached. For one person, it would be impossible to live with so much knowledge, without actually entering the Avatar State."

Suki could clearly see that his words had moved Aang in some way, the airbender was hunched over, staring at his own hands in deep thought, as if he could reach in and pluck the answer from the somewhere within.

"Couldn't your Avatar stop him though?" Ty Lee asked.

"She did stop him." Zuko answered. "The first time at least, before another spirit came back to the past and made sure the Dark Avatar would survive their battle. He had been smart the second time, he spent years disrupting the balance in the spirit world, being powered by it. By the time they fought again, he was too strong."

Suki sunk her teeth on her lower lip, wishing for the taste of blood if only to brush away the bad memories, they were too many, all rushing back into her mind. Soldiers cut down by sharp claws, strangled by tentacles and vines, a sea of darkness overwhelming a fleet, her own fan cutting down foes until they were nothing but a goop of shadows, and finally, the screams, the blank eyes, her pain. No mother should have to see her child die. It should be the other way around.

"No one is lying" Toph whispered. She had taken her feet off the bed and was now staring straight ahead, as if her blind gaze could find a way to say otherwise.

"All right, fine! Then it's truth, you're both time travelers, great!" Sokka cried out. "Then why you two? Why not one of us?"

"We found out that the flow of time was messed up at some point after the war ended, in the coming years. After that we needed someone who was alive at this age." Zuko said. "It would help if it was someone who would be in a position to help."

"You and Aang were not an option." Suki took a deep breath, running a hand through her hair as she studied the metal ceiling. "Katara and Toph, they were both meant to come with us, but Korra, the Avatar, needed time to make the travel work. When our defenses were crumbling, you both went out to fight. Zuko was already wounded, h-he could barely breath on his own. I almost thought he hadn't made it back until those officers showed up to get me out of the Boiling Rock."

"You..." Zuko's eye widened, she hadn't mentioned that yet, heck, she hadn't even allowed herself to delve on it, but yes, those first days in prison, Suki had really wondered if the mission had become her responsibility alone.

She tried to shrug, as if it wasn't a big deal, but she couldn't really look at Zuko's face at the moment or else risk be seeing so vulnerable.

"Anyway, it's the two of us, because there was no one else."

There weren't really any more questions after that.

They had all split away to their own rooms, or camp, and Suki had stayed behind, waiting for privacy so she could cuddle with Zuko until she felt better. Now she was alone, wondering when was the last time that seeing the future as a dark road had felt this ominous and dangerous. Her wedding perhaps, when every noble family in the Fire Nation had a bone to pick with her, from spreading scanty rumors to downright opposing her politics. Agni, she missed those days.

"I thought you and Zuko would be having some crying out session right now."

The bland voice could only belong to one person, but the words were more surprising than her arrival. "Excuse me?"

"You and Zuko." Mai sat by her side on the ramp, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. "I'll say, I almost puked myself at the way he was looking at you. He used to look at me like that, as if we could trade affection through our eyes, it was so annoying."

Suki took her words in. "So you figured that out."

"It wasn't too hard, the time travel explained it all." Mai leaned back, and for a while both girls, one of them with the mind of an old woman, were silent. "I presume I was dead too at the time you came back."

"We never learned, last I heard you were commanding our rearguard in our travel to the Southern Air Temple, when all contact was lost, well..."

"I see." Mai still wouldn't look at her. "So, I take it we knew each other very well."

"We will be friends."

"Yuk."

"Very good friends."

Mai hummed, nodding to herself. "I should've known. The way you played me at Pai Sho, it was like you knew my every move before I made it."

"We played a lot."

By now, Suki couldn't stop her smile, it was breaking through her face like a long wished sunrise. Around them, the night was cold, and the moon bright, but none of them cared all that much.

"In the future, does Zuko still have a pile of oils and creams for his hair?"

"Oh, Agni! He does!"

They giggled.

* * *

"I say this is all a bunch of baloney, seal baloney, you know? Like dad used to try and make for us?"

"I say this is all giving me a headache." Katara mumbled, rubbing her eyes as their small group gathered on what used to be their camp.

They had argued that they needed to come and get their stuff and it was a very good opportunity to talk about what they heard inside the airship. Time travel, a new avatar, evil spirits, it all swirled around Aang's mind like a whirlwind without control. He thought that mastering the Avatar State had been his big challenge, but that was gone and now he was listening about things he couldn't even start to comprehend. It was all a mess.

"I thought the Fire Lord was a problem, but..." His voice drifted away, ending under Toph's yawn.

"What is the big deal? We still have to beat him up, don't we? We just need to add a new bad guy to the list."

"Toph! Do you even understand what we heard back there?!" Challenged Katara "There are evil spirits and some dark avatar destroying the world!"

"They WILL be destroying the world, I thought Suki was pretty clear on that. We have time, sugar queen, thinking about it won't do us any good."

"She is right." Sokka said tiredly. "We need to deal with this one problem at a time, although I have the impression they aren't telling us everything."

"So we agree that they are for real? Are we seriously going to work with them? With the Fire Nation?" Katara asked, rubbing her arm seeming as uncomfortable as Aang felt.

"I guess." He mumbled.

"You guess?" Toph snorted. "Need I remind you that you're the Avatar, Twinkle Toes? If anyone here should make a decision about joining Zuko, it should be you."

"I know! I know! I'm just… I need some time to think!" He exclaimed, walking away and eager for a form of peace as the grass ruffled under his bare feet.

"I still feel there's stuff they're not telling us." Sokka was saying behind him.

Aang e walked, he didn't know for how long, until he came to the edge of the island, where he could taste the salt in the air, the connection with his bending was so strong under a fresh breath of wind that he allowed his worries to vanish within it. As an airbender he had been taught earlier to not give in to earthly bonds, but if his time with Guru Pathik taught him anything was that he wasn't exactly ready to deal with that in its entirety, because when it came down to it the people in his life were more reason to fight than everything else, without them, he might have given up long ago. The thought made him feel ashamed. The world was out there, crying out for his help, and yet Aang felt only the urge to curl into himself and let the storm pass him by. The Fire Lord, dark avatars, evil spirits and time travel, how was he supposed to deal with all of that?

"I'm just a kid." he whispered, although he wanted to scream.

Closing his eyes, he took a shivering breath, remembering the last time he run away from his problems. He run away because he didn't want any of this, he wanted the fun and the smiles, and the caring eyes of Monk Gyatso, he wanted his people to be well, but all he did was not be there when they needed him.

He was still sitting there when he saw the first glow coming up on the far side of the island. Then followed another and another, a dozen fires like dots of light coming from where the airship was, each one sprouting colors just like Zuko had last night. Curious, Aang hesitated only for a moment before jumping to his feet, following along the coast, walking down hills and through the bushes until he came to a fence of torches tied to poles sunk into the earth.

"Aang?"

Surprised, the avatar jumped into a fighting stance, still not used to hear that voice calling him with anything but a threat. Immediately at seeing the Fire Prince in front of him, he felt a rush of heat burning his cheeks. "Sorry."

"Don't worry, I understand." Zuko smiled, which was still weird. He was carrying a load of spikes in his arms, all of them fitted with torches on one side, and as Aang watched he planted a spike on the ground, produced a small flame in his hands and lit the torch at the end, exhaling a bittersweet sort of smell.

"What are you doing?"

"It's a very old purifying ritual, you would be impressed with how many old stuff we dug out to protect ourselves. I'm not sure if the dark spirits will be back or not, but if they do this will keep them away." He lit a tiny rainbow flame in his hands and held it out to him. "Wanna help?"

"Huh, sure, I can carry the torches and…"

"Not what I meant."

He stared at Zuko confused as to what he meant, while the fire painted his face in a dozen different hues. When he understood the offer, he quickly backtracked, waving his hands in front of him. "No, sorry, but I-I don't know if that is a good idea."

"Why not?"

Aang balked at the simply question, feeling horribly uncertain. If Zuko's story was true, then he probably knew him, and there was something really unsettling about that, still, even when they were enemies, he had looked at Zuko and wondered. "The last time I tried firebending, things didn't go so well."

Zuko hummed. "You're afraid."

"Of course I'm afraid" Aang shrilled. "Last time, I burned someone, okay? Someone important. I can't let that happen again."

Right away, he regretted snapping like that, but he was scared, and tired, and sleep had been flimsy and uncomfortable, there wasn't much helping him right now, but still. "Sorry…"

"Don't be." Zuko said, prompting Aang to look at him. "You have every right to feel like you do, and I understand, you know? Fire is dangerous, it can and will hurt people, but that is exactly why learning control is important."

The monk sighed. "I guess."

"Why don't we make a deal? You hold the fire, and I won't let anything go wrong, how is that?"

Aang shrugged, and it seemed to be all that Zuko needed The firebender gently guided the fire to his hands, the flame almost disappearing before Aang let some of his chi go into it, juggling the fire uncertainly, torn between letting it go and burning the whole island by accident. He was starting to feel like a crazy person when Zuko's hand suddenly hovered over it, and the flame gained size again and Aang finally allowed himself to relax, struck by the feeling.

It was different than how he felt fire before.

It pulsed in his hand, warm, almost like a tiny heart of joy. "Wow."

"I know" Zuko smirked. "Now, I'm gonna take my hand away, all right? You keep it burning."

By himself? "I don't know if I can do it."

"I know you can, you're a talented kid."

Saying that, Zuko took his hand away, and surprisingly it didn't vanish right away. It certainly got smaller, but Aang kept it burning nonetheless, carrying it along the fence with growing confidence as they worked.

Aang would plant a pike on the ground, lit its fire and Zuko would lit the next, everything almost seamlessly under the stars and soon, Aang felt his mind at ease under the task, so much it took him sometime to remember who was really by his side, so when the job was done and a circle of colors surrounded the airship, the observation popped from his mouth before he could stop it.

"This is weird."

Zuko smirked. "I suppose it is."

"How did you learn to make fire like this?"

"Dragons"

"Dragons!" Aang smiled, he remembered dragons, there were dragons all over the world at his time, but he hadn't seen any since… "What happened to the dragons?"

"Sozin happened" Zuko said, a strange somberness hitting his features. "He proclaimed dragons were a prize to be hunted. They are almost extinct now, but I know a place where they are safe."

"Where is it?"

"Don't worry, I'll take you there sometime, it will be a great firebending lesson." Zuko stopped short. "I mean, if you accept me as your teacher, if you want it I can just tell you where it is, I mean, I'm not making a condition you know… Because… Well…"

Aang stared at the stammering teenager in front of him and felt a small degree of comfort. "You know, I think you might not be a bad a choice for a teacher, my hotman."

"Oh Agni." Zuko groaned. "I thought I might get rid of that nickname."

"Nickname?" Aang grinned. "So I call you Hotman in the future? That is cool! If you teach me I could call you, Sifu Hotman! Master Hotman! Sensei Hotman!"

Zuko groaned louder.

* * *

Sokka sat down, overlooking the line of torches around them.

Zuko told them some story about the colorful flames protecting them from Dark Spirits, but he didn't trust that at all until he saw it for himself. He was proud to know about a lot of stuff, but if there was one thing that slipped under his feet was that spiritual mambo jambo, that was more of Aang's territory. It made him feel stupid, a fish out of water, and it didn't help that everything he planned for the day of the eclipse had gone down the drain as well.

Soon enough all his friends would be here at the meeting point and he didn't even have a plan. Fantastic. Was he supposed to make a plan for the end of the world as well?

He almost wished the stupid spirits would've gone away, then he could deal with the real world, of numbers and men and weapons. Then the reminder of his future failure hit him like a brick. The invasion would fail, he was told, they were expected already. The world's best hope turned to ashes with a few simple words. Looking back, he caught sight of his friends, their shapes lying down in the shadow of the airship. He wondered how they managed to sleep at all, and then he wondered if they really were, but even when he paid attention he couldn't make anything out beyond Appa's snoring.

_I wanted to build you an armor,_ he remembered, but now the pile of metal he brought along was still sitting among their supplies.

"It was a stupid idea anyway."

"What was stupid?"

Sokka cringed, gritting his teeth, his eyes looking do he wouldn't pay attention to the newcomer. "Nothing, I was just thinking out loud."

"Well, whatever it is I happen to know for a fact that your ideas are not stupid." Her weight settled down on the grass, her shadow turning into dozens of translucent streaks under the many sources of light. "It should help if you talk about it."

"Are you offering?"

"Yes."

Plucking some grass from the ground, he decided there wouldn't be any harm in explaining. "I wanted to build Appa some armor."

"He will surely need it." Suki cautioned. "I think there is plenty of people willing to help too."

He frowned. "You mean Fire Nation."

"Yes" He felt her fidgeting around and wondered if he sounded as harsh as he felt. "They will be useful to you, if you let them."

"As if I can be of any help, I'm sure you future people got it all figure out at this point."

Her laugh was short and a little bitter. "Hindsight is not really all it turns out to be, Sokka."

"Right."

"I can be of great help though, think about it, with two time travelers, one of them a fire nation prince you can make a plan to stop Ozai in no time."

"Right." He felt a smile coming, plucking more pieces of grass, maybe he could do the whole island, turn it into a plowing field. "So, how does that work anyway, are you an old woman now?"

"I'm still me." She declared and he caught a glimpse of her scratching her leg, the skin having a sharp contrast with the red trousers, which went only as far as her knee, leaving her bare feet free and dirty. "More experienced, more knowledgeable and more patient I like to think, but it's me all the same."

"Right." He licked his lips, wondering if he had any right to say more, but he needed to know and the words were out before he could stop it. "When was the last time you saw me?"

The silence stretched itself around them like a piece of rubber, the tension growing until you could only guess the moment it would snap and, eventually, it did.

"The last time I saw you, we were both meeting about matters of state, boring stuff. We met in your apartment, which I don't think you had cleaned in a while. There were all sorts of drawings on the walls and the floor, everywhere, but I didn't say anything because you already got your scolding from Katara." Her voice had a fondness to it, and he caught himself trapped in her words. "You made me tea, which was actually good. We talked about our lives, you said you were thinking about retirement, which made me laugh, as if you could keep quiet for long. It was a nice talk, we joked and made fun, and complained about young people like two old grumps."

He stopped, but he wanted more, his curiosity demanded. "Then what?"

"One week later you fell defending the new Avatar."

He didn't need clarification on that, but the knowledge brought him an odd sense of peace. At the least he had gone down for something important, still, her story was still strange, still missing things and, finally, he allowed himself to look at her.

It was still odd, to see her without the war paint, but nothing could deny Suki her beauty. Her skin had a healthy tan to it, glistening with a layer of sweat, while the muscles of her arms stood out by hugging her legs. Blue eyes, the ones he dreamed about in hormone charged nights were sad though, eerily soul, and Sokka almost backed away from his own memories.

"Last time I saw you, was on the Serpent's Pass."

"I know."

"We kissed." She nodded, not looking at him. "We kissed and more."

He still remembered that night when he confessed his loss, when they reconnected so long after his time on Kyoshi Island. Their kiss had meant a lot to him, it had eased a part of his being he wasn't even aware had been in pain all that time. It had been sweet, caring, and turned warm and urgent before he knew what was happening. They were both experimenting then, he struggling with his clothes, and she daring to take out her armor as they found a secluded place away from everyone else. When they joined together, it was all he could do to believe he was alive, and although the war loomed over everyone, they had parted with silent promises of repeating that night one day.

"I want to kiss you." He stated, watching for anything on her face and finding nothing but control. "You don't want to kiss me."

"I want to hug you." She answered making him cringe, but still she kept speaking. "I want to hold you, tell you how much you mean to me, how much you're loved, and how much I missed you, but no Sokka, I don't want to kiss you, not like that."

"Why not?" His throat seemed to be closing, but he uttered the question anyway, he wanted, needed, to know.

"Because in the future we are not together anymore."

And there it was, the answer he had been dreading, the sensation he was in the dark all along, and scurrying around blind.

"Why?" He rasped.

"You wanted a family and a house, I wanted to be a warrior and fulfill my duty. You were in one place I was in another." A pause. "You fell in love with someone else and so did I."

Sokka felt a scowl on his face, his control slipping slightly as the silence grew ten times what it was and then a little more. Then Suki got up, wished him good night, and was gone. The tears came all at once, sobs that racked his body even as he fought them, trying to keep quiet his shame and his sadness.

When Katara's arms wrapped around him, holding him, he knew he had failed, but was glad nonetheless.


End file.
